SATB
SSA
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Lyrics
I woke with my hands tied by fear
Bound in sorrow left to me
I wept in the darkness severe
Blind to a path a failed to see
But Voices of Sun shining in my eyes
Shivered the emotions stirred by thee
I tossed in the tied of my tears
Prey to your yearnful trickery
The truth I tried to fight
The light run cold by night
But through the year appeared what pierced my fear
My ear could hear so clear, so dear
The Voices of Sun shining in my eyes
Planted seeds of destiny
I could see victory
I left the life that I once knew
Turned my back on you
Lifted my eyes to the skies
To rise
And beheld your demise
My ties, they trembled, trembled, unraveled
And set my feet the path to join
The Voices of Sun shining in my eyes
Shattered the veil and gave me sight
Glorious light
Glorious Light!
About the Music
This piece is a letter to Fear, as if fear were a person itself, following the narrative of someone who has turned their back on Fear as a result of their life being changed by an extraordinary experience with an incredible group of people — the Voices of Sun. They are no longer blind with anguish, no longer cold with fear, no longer dead without purpose — they can now see with the light, are warm with joy and love, and are alive without fear of the future. Accompanied by piano, this emotional choral work features splits within each voice part at various points, but only houses a maximum of a six-part split at once.
Behind the Music
Joining choir changed my life. In high school, like most do, I was going through the motions of discovering who I truly was and what I was meant to do with my life. In many ways, I was afraid and felt aimless about where I was going. But after joining choir, I found a family, a home, and ultimately, life. Much like the sun brings life to our planet, my high school choir brought a new life to me. At the end of my Senior year, I wrote Voices of Sun as an ode to the people that brought about such a joyous light to my life through love and music. Fittingly, it was the first choral piece I ever wrote, as well as the first choral piece I ever had performed live. It was premiered by the Hardin-Simmons University Concert Choir in Abilene, Texas, under the direction of Dr. Clell Wright. It is dedicated to my high school choir directors, Brenda Justice and Julie Rhodes, and the Rouse High School Raider Choir in Leander, Texas.
