Jerusalem (SATB divisi) by Curtis Hanson Divisi - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.719512

This piece, though quite short, is a perspective on Jerusalem with an underlying reflection on Christ's passion. The first half is very dissonant with the voices polyphonically invoking "Jerusalem" reflecting the diverse, seemingly discordant peoples who look to the Holy City. Under the voices is an ostinato bass which is meant to symbolize a heartbeat and can be inferred as either that of Christ in anticipation of his death or, on a larger scale, the repeated historical pattern of the city's desecration. The dissonance is built diatonically by the voices and the sustained right hand of the accompaniment producing the layering effect reflecting Jerusalem's evolution. The atonal first half ends with a very dissonant, seemingly frenzied, chaotic wail of "Jerusalem" in which every note of the scale is sounded, and the accompanying heartbeat ceases. The second half of the piece is a homophonic reflection on Christ's sacrifice and an attempt to bring the diverse voices together in harmony as a plea for peace and harmony among all people, regardless of ideology. This piece is number four in the composer's "Six Anthems for Lent and Holy Week".