The 2021 Old West Organ Society Summer Series continues with a performance by Heinrich Christensen and David Eaton. Admission is free; donations are gratefully accepted in support of the Society.
Robert A. Harris
Elegy for the Time of Change
Composer’s Note
Elegy for the Time of Change, composed in June 2020, is in part a reaction to the horrific death of George Floyd, who was murdered as the entire world witnessed his cruel suffocation by a police officer. Floyd was forced to the ground and struggled to breathe for 9 minutes and 29 seconds—calling out for his mother—before taking his last breath and dying. The impetus for writing this piece was a sermon delivered shortly after this lamentable event by the Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church. In that sermon, Bishop Curry delivered words of solace, love, and the hope that the United States, struggling with polarization, mistrust, and disparity, might come together as a unified nation of brotherhood, peace, and equality. Most moving and memorable were his recurring references to words of the spiritual There is a Balm in Gilead. Those words of assurance, woven into his beautifully crafted sermon, were the real inspiration for Elegy, which I began to write immediately after the sermon’s conclusion. Brief musical quotes from the spiritual occur throughout the piece, representing the aspiration that we as a people will soon unite, revive our collective spirits, and heal the wounded, sin-sick soul of our nation.
In Memoriam ...
Tanisha Anderson, Sandra Bland, Rayshard Brooks, Michael Brown, Philando Castile, Stephon Clark, Michelle Cusseaux, George Floyd, James Floyd, Janisha Fonville, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Akai Gurley, Justin Howell, Botham Jean, Atatiana Jefferson, Trayvon Martin, Sean Monterrosa, Gabriella Nevarez, Tamir Rice, Aura Rosser, Alton Sterling, Breonna Taylor, et al. ...
Heinrich Christensen
Heinrich Christensen is the music director of King’s Chapel in Boston. His proudest achievement and greater life mission is to serve on the board of the Old West Organ Society.
David Danielson Eaton is an active performer, church musician, and educator. He has served on the Old West Organ Society board of directors since 2015 and is cathedral organist at Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh, NC.
For a detailed biography, please visit: www.DavidDanielsonEaton.com
David Eaton