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Download an MP3 file of a performance of this work by the Philovox Choir of Boston, Jane Ring Frank, conductor.
Download an MP3 file of a performance of this work by Vocal Artistry, Joseph Caulkins, conductor.
Commissioned for the 50th anniversary season of the Polymnia Choral Society of Melrose, Massachusetts -- Michelle Graveline, Music Director
Let Music Fill the Air weaves together several texts with the common theme of celebration of the power of song. The opening section uses the lines from the Handel Opera, "Rosalinde": "Are you troubled? Music will calm you." This is the healing power of music. The mood then turns to triumph: "Raise your voice. Let music fill the air." During this phrase, the music shifts from the C Minor to C Major tonality.
Reflective qualities fill the middle section, with the quote from Plato's writings: "Music gives soul to the universe. Music gives wings to the mind." This leads to urgency and celebration: "Let my voice speak! Let my heart rise on wings of song." For music enables self-expression, and an elevation of the spirit.
The concluding section ("rise on wings of song") modulates to the key of A Major, effecting an overall tonal shift from three flats (C Minor) to three sharps (A Major). This may be heard as a brightening of tonality, an exuberance as music fills the air!
Notes by the composer