The Seven Seals

Men's chorus piece from the earl '80s.  Written while I was studying with Dominic Argento.  The piece received a reading, which was funded by the American Composer's Forum, (then the Minnesota Composers Forum) but it was never recorded.  

The text is taken from the book of Revelation - the breaking of the seven seals.  One interesting anecdote, one of the singers approached me after the reading and complained bitterly about my use of the text.  He was particularly upset that I ended the piece on the word "silence".  He was of the opinion that by stopping there and not including the text which follows, I was saying that God was absent or dead.  I argued that it made sense aesthetically to end the piece at that point, but he would hear none of it.  He was quite upset. (I should point out that he was wearing a clerical collar at the time.)