Psalm 62

Psalm 62: Tone Poem for Brass Band features the standard brass band ensemble augmented by a concertino of mallet percussion instruments, the former representing humankind and its endeavors, the latter signifying the higher and sometimes mysterious plane of God. The chronology of the text is followed fairly strictly, with abundant illustrative word painting. The dialogue between the human perspective and plane of God ends with a deconstruction of all human striving (including the writing of this piece) as the traditionally triumphant gestures of the brass band are cut off and fragmented by lengthy pauses, finally supplanted by a series of chords that attempt to capture some of the “beyond rational” ecstasy that can only come from God.