How Sweet the Sound

This piece is a theme and variations on the melody of "Amazing Grace", dedicated to my marching band friend's sister who passed away from late stage cancer in April 2020. I worked in a cancer lab for most of 2020 and 2021, so I could understand her and her family's pain. I noticed that the young woman touched many lives around Nebraska in her lifetime. With the permission of her family, I created this piece to celebrate her life.
 
The variations of the "Amazing Grace" melody mimic the highs and the lows of life through modes and irregular time signatures. A hopeful statement of the original melody introduces the work, and its conclusion propels the work into a light, joyous iteration in an odd-metered time signature. The second variation of the melody creates a dark and somber mood, similar to one heard at a funeral. Transitioning from the second to the third variation, a trumpet choir simulates a church choir to represent heavenly redemption and a fulfilling life.
 
All proceeds from future performances of this work will be donated to cancer research.