C:UsersSeafarerDocumentsMyFilesCompositions ... by Konen Uehara, ca. 1910 Sören Kierkegaard, adapted Elizabeth Alexander With placidness and grace

Elizabeth Alexander

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5SEA-114-00 $2.00

Calm the Tempests of My HeartSøren Kierkegaard

2, 3 OR 4-part Chorus a cappella

Calm the Tempests of my Heart

Calm the tempests of my heart, O my God.Calm the tempests of my heart, O my God.Be still, O my soul, so that God may rest in thee,Bringing peace that the world can never take away.

Lyric adapted by the composer from prayer by Søren Kierkegaard

All rights reserved.

Original Prayer by Søren Aabye Kierkegaard:

Calm the waves of this heart, O God; calm its tempests.Calm yourself, O my soul, so that God is able to rest in you, so that God’s peace may cover you. Yes, You can give us peace, O God, peace that the whole world can never take away.

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic, andwriter. After completing his theological studies, his plans to become a minister were thwarted by hisdifferences with the Church of Denmark, about which he was quite vocal. Dismissing the usefulness ofHegel’s rational dialectical reasoning, Kierkegaard espoused passionate engagement with religion,welcoming both struggles and leaps of faith. Sometimes called the father of existentialism, Kierkegaardbelieved that becoming an authentically ethical, religious and loving individual was one of the mostimportant tasks in one’s life.

Composer’s Note: This song was inspired by a need both spiritual and practical. Joyce Harding, musicdirector of Trinity Lutheran Church of Watertown, Minnesota, wanted a choral response which could besung at each of several mid-week Lenten Services – but she wasn’t sure which choir members would beable to attend each week – certainly not a dilemma unique to her!

So from its conception, Calm the Tempests of my Heart was composed with maximum performanceflexibility in mind. I composed 2, 3, and 4-part voicings, so it could be sung by high voices, low voices,or mixed voices in 2 or 3 parts. Far from a rote exercise in arranging, this project gave me the chance tofashion a different character for each voicing of this timeless prayer.

Cover Image: “Waves”

Woodcut by Konen Uehara, ca. 1910

Sören Kierkegaard, adapted Elizabeth Alexander

With placidness and grace

Commissioned by the Faith Partners Program *

Calm the Tempests of my Heart, O my God

Two-part men's or women's choir

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© 2012 by Elizabeth Alexander. All rights reserved.

* Faith Partners is underwritten by the American Composers Forum with funds provided by The Otto Bremer Foundation.Premiered by Trinity Lutheran Church of Watertown, Minnesota, under the direction of Joyce Harding.

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peace that the world can nev er- take

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peace that the world can nev er- take a way.- Calm the take a way.-

Seafarer PressSEA-114-00

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Sören Kierkegaard, adapted Elizabeth Alexander



Three-part mixed choir

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Sören Kierkegaard, adapted


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Elizabeth Alexander



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Growing up in the Carolinas and Appalachian Ohio, Elizabeth Alexander gained her love of languageand music from her parents, a minister and a piano teacher. These twin passions are reflected in hercatalogue of over 100 choral and vocal pieces, which have received over 20 national and internationalawards, and been performed by over 1000 choirs.

Reviewers have commented on “the close personal resonance between the composer and the words,” hermusic’s “delicacy and sincerity,” and its “elegance, subtle unexpected harmonic turns, and...freshnesswithin a well-known language.” Her wide-ranging compositional influences include classical, folk,atonality, Latin and classic jazz, and gospel.

A 2011 McKnight Fellow, she has received awards and fellowships fromthe Jerome Foundation, New York Council on the Arts, Wisconsin ArtsBoard, National Orchestral Association, International League of WomenComposers, and American Composers Forum. Her composition teachershave included Jack Gallagher at The College of Wooster, and StevenStucky, Yehudi Wyner and Karel Husa at Cornell University, from whichshe received her doctorate in music composition.

Other performers of her music have included orchestras such asCharleston Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra andWisconsin Chamber Orchestra; chamber ensembles North/SouthConsonance, Society for New Music, and Sounds New; and singers RuthMacKenzie, Bradley Greenwald, Christina Baldwin, Janet Youngdahl,Andrea Cawelti, David Gagnon, Libby Turner-Opanga, Linda Larson andCheryl Coker.

Elizabeth lives in St. Paul, MN, where her frequent commissions include works for orchestra, chorus,chamber ensembles and solo musicians. She reads voraciously, shamelessly encourages her teenagers’jokes, makes pretty good biscuits, and tends her garden during the three month period in Minnesota thatis not winter.

She believes she has the best job in the world.

Selected Choral Music by Elizabeth Alexander

April Rain Song (Langston Hughes) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-006-01

Before the Bread (English folk prayer) SSSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-023-00

Blessed Be the Flower That Triumphs (Michael deVernon Boblett) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-078-00

Cherish Your Doubt (Alexander) SATB & piano / SSAA & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-063-01 / SEA-063-02

Climb (Edna St. Vincent Millay) SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-059-00

Dragon Dance (Elizabeth Alexander) S & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-001-00

Die Gedanken Sind Frei (155h century German protest song, arr.) SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-087-00

The Earth Called To My Friend (Nancy Wood) SSA & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-057-00

Even a Fist Was Once an Open Palm (Yehuda Amichai) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-026-01

Faith Is the Bird That Feels the Light (Rabindranath Tagore) SSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-068-00

Fighting Over What We Believe (Alexander) SAB youth choir, SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-099-00

Finally On My Way To Yes (Pesha Gertler) SSATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-019-00

Folks, I’m Telling You (Langston Hughes) SSATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-027-00

For So the Children Come (Sophia Fahs) SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-010-00

Glen Song (Scott Bates) SSATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-025-00

Go Out! (John Murray) SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-081-00

I Write This Poem Out of Darkness (George Ella Lyon) SSA, flute, violin & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-024-00

If You Can Walk You Can Dance (Zimbabwean Proverb) SAB & piano / TTB & piano . . SEA-022-03 / SEA-022-05

Immortal Love (John Greenleaf Whittier) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-017-00

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly (arr. Polish carol) SSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-020-00

The Journey (Evelyn Dudley) TTBB / SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-075-00 / SEA-075-01

Jump! (Ray Bradbury) SSA & string quartet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-090-00

Life is not a Garden (Alexander) SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-064-00

May This Be a Working Alleluia (Alexander) Children’s choir, SATB & piano (opt. flute & trumpets) . SEA-098-00

Morning Bread (Amy Lowell) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-060-00

...or a musician (Philip Dacey) SATB & orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-007-00

A Palette To Paint Us As We Are (Gerald Rich) SA & piano / SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . SEA-014-00 / SEA-014-01

Praise Wet Snow Falling Early (Denise Levertov) SATB & piano SEA-015-00

Reasons for the Perpetuation of Slavery (Alexander) SSAA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-091-00

Spring Grass (Carl Sandburg) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-006-03

They Have Freckles Everywhere (Alexander) SSAA & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-076-00

Those Who Wish To Sing Always Find a Song (Swedish proverb) SSS, oboe & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-022-01

To Make a Prairie (Emily Dickinson) SSA & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-016-00

Tomorrow, God Willing (Garrison Keillor) TTBB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-077-00

Trust the Seeds (Alexander) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-009-00

We Lift Up Our Hearts (Richard Fewkes) Children’s choir, SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-021-00

We Remember Them (Sylvan Kamens & Jack Riemer) SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-083-01

Where There Is Light in the Soul (Chinese proverb) SAB/SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-070-00 / SEA-070-01

When the Song of the Angels Is Stilled (Howard Thurman) SSAA / TTBB . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-062-04 / SEA-062-02

Why I Pity the Woman Who Never Spills (Joan Wolf Prefontaine) SSAA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-058-00

CD: Finally On My Way To Yes — Award-winning choral works by Elizabeth Alexander . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-CD-001

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