Tom Atwood
classical
Lamentations
Sometimes grief remains unexpressed for years. The three selections in this piece explore grief and sorrow while at the same time giving voice to hope and redemption. All three were written in 2006, at the same time I was recording "Larger Than Life," an elegy for my father, who died in 1984.
A New Unknown
Thanks to Mystified, a singer in Salt Lake City, who added vocals to Part IV ("Rainforest Lament").
American Plain
The 2005 symphony composed by Tom Atwood, inspired partly by congregational singing of the National Hymn at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Edwardsville, Illinois on the Fourth of July. That wonderful, stirring hymn opens with a true fanfare, and begins with this familiar verse:
"God of our fathers, whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies,
Our grateful songs before thy throne arise."
It is possible to experience a deep love of country, even in the midst of dissatisfaction with government and personal feelings of cultural alienation. However, that kind of love and alienation produce tension, which is hopefully present in the opening movement, and throughout “American Plain.” But this is not a political piece at all. It is really a landscape. In fact, more than congregational singing, or love of country, this was inspired by the broad, almost endless landscape of the American Plain. I also chose that title because I believe this “symphony” is very plain. In fact, its composer is, too. As “American plain” as they come. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing?