ABOUT THE MUSIC

I began writing The Lord's Prayer during the winter of my freshman year at Yale (January or February 1992), but ran fresh out of ideas after the third measure. I put the piece aside, assuming that that was the end of that particular endeavor. But one night in January of this year (1999, seven years after its inception) I was literally unable to fall asleep because I had the entire song, all but complete, in my head. I started writing the music the next day, and completed the first draft in just three weeks. What you will hear today is essentially what I heard that January night.

There are three major sections to The Lord's Prayer. The first section, in G major, includes the beginning of the prayer to "..on earth as it is in heaven." It is joyful and respectful, proclaiming God's glory and expressing hope that God's kingdom will come on earth. The lightness of the Alberti-style accompaniment is intended to evoke the lightness of heaven. The second section, which includes the prayer text to "..as we forgive those who trespass against us", takes a more serious tone, indicated by the key change from G major to G minor. In this section, the human needs of daily sustenance and forgiveness of sins are addressed. The darkness of sin is suggested by diminished seventh chords used with the repeated text "And forgive us." Diminished sevenths are used to similarly highlight "trespasses." A deceptive cadence near the conclusion of the section musically questions how well we forgive others. This second section resolves where it began, in G minor.

The next two lines of text, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" form a transition to the third section. This transition is interesting primarily in its tone painting. The performers start out in G major and are led into the temptation of five different implied keys and the evil of multiple diminished seventh chords before being delivered into D major to begin the final section.

The third section concludes the prayer. Like the first section, it proclaims God's glory, but uses an earthier and fuller accompaniment. The accompaniment lightens during the 'Amens', carrying the prayer heavenwards.


-- Written by C. Eastman for the premiere performance of "The Lord's Prayer," 10/99, Christ Church Portola Valley and Woodside, Portola Valley, CA.