Christopher Churcher
Everything is Going to be All Right (2023)
for SATB voices (divisi) and piano
approx. duration: 5 minutes
composed for the Delaware Choral Scholars
How should I not be glad to contemplate
the clouds clearing beyond the dormer window
and a high tide reflected on the ceiling?
There will be dying, there will be dying,
but there is no need to go into that.
The poems flow from the hand unbidden
and the hidden source is the watchful heart.
The sun rises in spite of everything
and the far cities are beautiful and bright.
I lie here in a riot of sunlight
watching the day break and the clouds flying.
Everything is going to be all right.
Derek Mahon (1941-2020)
Programme Note
On my nineteenth birthday, I was shown this poem by the Irish poet Derek Mahon, and I was immediately struck by its heartfelt message of hope. I knew right away I had to set it to music. At the time, I was exploring freer, polyphonic vocal writing and took this as an opportunity to craft a wholly melodic work, focusing on shaping expressive, flowing lines for each voice part.
The music sets the poem to a simple melody, building as the poem becomes more fervent in its message, reaching its peak at the radiant line, “I lie here in a riot of sunlight”. From there, it gently settles, ending with Mahon’s simply reassurance that “everything is going to be all right”. For me, this piece is my way of sharing that simple, comforting sentiment.
