One Leaf (2013)
For SATB Chorus and Piano, 3’30”
Commissioned by the First Universalist Singers of Denver
On “One Leaf (Autumn)” by Kevin Garlow
First Universalist Singers of Denver; Sarah Libert, piano; John Hubert, Director
About the Music
Kevin Garlow’s poem “One Leaf (Autumn)” describes the cycle of life from the point of view of a single leaf. At the work’s premiere, Garlow said, “I wrote this poem as a meditation on how we can choose to create meaning and beauty in our lives, particularly in community and in collaboration with others.” The viewpoint in the poem shifts back and forth between the individual and the communal, and draws a metaphor between the visual splendor of autumn colors and the auditory beauty of music. The words take on a glorious, elegiac quality as the year runs out and the life of the leaf draws to a close: “Bright forest hues in symphony / A slow salute to fading sun.” An unusual aspect of the music is its free-form quality, incorporating piano improvisation within different collections of notes, and naturalistic wind sounds made by the choir.
 Score Sample | PDF license per copy $1.75 |