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WorksChoral MusicMixed ChorusGod of Owls

God of Owls

Voicing: SATB a cappella, various solos
Text: Anonymous (20th century American)
Duration: 6 min.
Premiere: Ensemble of the North, Minneapolis, MN - May 22, 2004
See the score: PREVIEW THE SCORE (pdf)
Published by: Abbie Betinis Music Co., AB-029-02


 WATCH (Click to view/hide)
"God of Owls" as recorded by Antiphony (www.antiphony.ca) - Winnipeg, Canada.
Antiphony is: Dawn-Marie Hildebrand, Hannah Cavey, Tara Schellenberg, Anna Wiebe, Amanda Buhse, Dan Peasgood, Dan Szymanski, Scott Reimer, Ian Mikita and Peter Klippenstein.

LISTEN TO THE PREMIERE
God of Owls: mp3, 6:15, 5.8 MB
Performed live by Ensemble of the North. Patrick McDonough, conductor.

PROGRAM NOTE
This poem, God of Owls, is taken from a collection of five poems contributed anonymously as a gift from the poet to St. George's Church in New York City. The internationally-renowned American poet, a former student of Robert Frost, included only this note in his collection, entitled beyond our fears:
"Because it is his belief that every man stretches, in prayer, beyond the more selfish aspects of his identity, the writer prefers that these prayers be printed anonymously. He hopes that each reader may, thus, come to these prayers as if the words were his own."

I hope that this music evokes a sense of humble spirituality, perhaps even that mysterious feeling of walking through the woods at night, all senses heightened. It’s a place where every small noise becomes great, every ordinary tree a looming shadow – until, eventually, these nocturnal sounds and shapes start to appear familiar, even comforting. Musically, the nebulous harmonies of the opening phrases develop into a repeated pattern of nightcalls in the lower voices, through which the melody finds strength. To me, this is a piece about hope, and about great trust.

I am indebted to Ann Miller for helping me acquire permission from the anonymous poet to set this beautiful poem to music, as well as to Patrick McDonough and Ensemble of the North for giving me great liberty with this project.

- Abbie Betinis, 2004

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
"God of Owls worked very well in a repertoire set that also included Janequin's Le Chant des Oyseaux and Whitacre's Water Night. The students, audiences and I loved it!
- Janet Brenneman, conductor (Canadian Mennonite University)


"One particular under-performed jewel in this year’s repertoire is Abbie Betinis’ God of Owls, which sets an anonymous poet’s prayer that we may be prevented “from being blind to what we’re afraid to see” atop a thorny bramble of low voices and haunting bird calls."
- Erik Peregrine, conductor (Ensemble Companio)


TEXT
God of Owls and of all night creatures,
both great and small, walk also with us
who fear the dark. Accustom our eyes
to that [part of the world] which turns away
from the sun; prevent us from being blind
to what we’re afraid to see.

Whenever our spirit is sleepless,
share us stars to outline a landmark tree
or to see the sheltering hills.
Teach our feet to feel for the ground
where brave souls have walked before us.

- Anonymous (note: text in brackets omitted by the composer)


Used by permission of the poet. This poem may be reprinted from this website for use in concert programs and for promotional use as related to this musical work.

  LIST OF PREVIOUS PERFORMANCES (Click to view/hide)

Ensemble Companio (Erik Peregrine, conductor)
Ensemble of the North (Patrick McDonough, conductor)
Renegade Ensemble - Minneapolis, MN (Stanley Rothrock, conductor)
Antiphony - Winnipeg, CANADA
CMU Chamber Choir, Canadian Mennonite University (Janet Brenneman, cond.)
The Esoterics (Eric Banks, conductor)


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