Ring the Broken Pail

Description

Ring the Broken Pail
David Ashley White

David Ashley White has set to music the contemporary poetry of the Rev. J. Pittman McGehee. This poem vividly reflects the ambiguous feelings of a witness to the Crucifixion. The first half of the poem is a mostly unison setting while the second half supports the pleading and questioning of the speaker with an increasingly richer harmonic texture. The vocal lines are set in the central part of the respective ranges, while the mostly subdued colors of the organ underline the despair of the text. This piece would be especially appropriate for Holy Week.