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Words & Music: A Conversation with Poets and Composers

dience and singers. Two, then I like a nice open playing After living with it for a few weeks, I showed it to
field for my own creativity to run. That 50-50 blend of our VP of Publications, Allan Petker. I asked him if
clarity and creativity is my sweet spot. he thought it was worth trying to get set to music. He
thought it was. I asked him if he thought my idea of
Pederson: Generally, I enjoy the musical flexibility to showing it to Rosephanye was crazy, and he said, “Ab-
craft the kind of piece that the text might inspire with- solutely not! She would be perfect!” I called her one
out too many parameters. That was one of the espe- afternoon and shared it with her. Within the first few
cially fun aspects of the Genesis commission—its open- minutes she was already telling me that she had some
ness allowed the piece to become a bit more sprawling musical ideas running through her head. That’s how
(8 min), cover three separate continents, two different this all started.
languages, and several genres. But I’ve also had success As far as the collaboration goes, it was actually very
on commissions with a very specific wish list. I agree simple for me. I sent her the text and she set it. Now,
with Brian that clarity around deadline, intended audi- she did ask if she could adjust and augment my words
ence, intended choir, and intended impact is very help- to make it work for the music that she was writing. Of
ful. course, I agreed. When the piece was done, she sent
it to me to review. I literally had no notes for her. The
places where she had changed/altered my text were
Describe your process of collaborating on a done appropriately and thoughtfully to both what I
project. had written and what she had composed. Most of my
collaboration processes have had more back-and-forth
Powell: My first collaboration, “The Promise Lives with composers. “Love Will Find A Way” is the one
On,” with lyricist Pamela Martin for Sing for the Cure, that required no discussion or debate. It was so easy.
was composed between 2000 and 2001. My most re-
cent collaboration, “Love Will Find A Way,” occurred
with Steve in 2018. For each of these and those in be- Boss: First of all, Jake doesn’t just “set my poems.”
tween, once the lyrics or poetry was provided, I was That’s never been how we work together. Instead, we
given the freedom to compose the song without further start with an idea or a theme, and we bat it around
input until I submitted the first draft for review. So far, over a series of phone calls, and then I go to work writ-
the lyricists have welcomed this arrangement, and it ing something custom for him, an original. What Jake
has made the process a smooth one. wants from me is a living work of art that’s respon-
sive to his passions and mine, but also to the particular
Bock: I don’t know of an easier collaboration expe- choir and instruments that will premiere it, the audi-
rience than what I had with Rosephanye on “Love ence for it, even sometimes the other works that will be
Will Find a Way.” The text came out of an evening of performed alongside it.
watching annoying television “news” programs, which Our early discussions focus on the idea and how it
were really nothing more than two people yelling at should develop, what structure the overall piece will
each other about some topic and not listening to the take, what impact we want the piece to have on listen-
other person at all. I thought “There has to be a better ers, how the choir might best be leveraged, and any lit-
way for our society to deal with complex issues.” Out erary or musical references we might want to be aware
of that came the text. In fact, it came very fast. Words of. All of that discussion happens before I write a word,
were coming out of my head faster than my fingers before he writes a note. A few weeks of gestation will go
could type. The entire thing was written in under an by, and I’ll have an inspiration or think of a cool twist
hour. I didn’t have any plans for it, really. It was noth- on our theme, and then we’ll have another conversa-
ing more than my way of responding to the frustration tion or two. Soon enough I’m drafting something, but I
that I was feeling. won’t usually let him see it till I’ve over-written it, given

CHORAL JOURNAL March/April 2023 Volume 63 Number 7 13