Prayer Beads
for brass quintet (8:00)
Prayer Beads is a meditation on extreme displays of spiritual devotion through the act of prayer. Being raised in a Catholic household, I remember when I first learned about the act of praying the rosary. Such a marathon act of prayer boggled my young mind, I couldn’t understand what would compel someone to pray with such intensity. As I grew older, Catholicism ultimately didn’t end up resonating with me, however in a twist of fate I later discovered that my biological family in South Korea were practicing Buddhists. While living in Korea I attended a celebration of the Buddha’s birthday with my family at their local temple. The ceremony began at sunset with the loud, cracking sound of prayer blocks, the soft, warm, resonant strike of a gong, and then a group chant that lasted well into the dark of the night. Rows of paper lanterns swayed in the dark night, while the rich perfume of incense lingered in the air. I was hypnotized by the monk’s relentless prayer, which seemed never ending. As I contemplated the long prayer, it occurred to me that other temples on the mountain were proceeding through the same prayers, and countless voices in Korea and at other Buddhist temples around the world were joined in a cacophony of prayer. Then it also occurred to me that halfway around the globe, my family would be at church praying at the very same moment, and suddenly the differences between Catholic mass and Buddhist chant seemed to melt away. Although the ideas and creeds might differ, at the heart of both displays of prayer lie the same depth of devotion. Buddhist chant, Gregorian plainchant, hymns, chorales - all are concentrated acts of spirituality taking the form of musical prayer, all of which found their way into the fabric of this piece.
Commissioned in consortium by Western Brass Quintet, Gaudete Brass, Potsdam Brass Quintet, eGALitarian Quintet, and Dry Heat Brass, led by Dr. David Mercedes.
Prayer Beads is a meditation on extreme displays of spiritual devotion through the act of prayer. Being raised in a Catholic household, I remember when I first learned about the act of praying the rosary. Such a marathon act of prayer boggled my young mind, I couldn’t understand what would compel someone to pray with such intensity. As I grew older, Catholicism ultimately didn’t end up resonating with me, however in a twist of fate I later discovered that my biological family in South Korea were practicing Buddhists. While living in Korea I attended a celebration of the Buddha’s birthday with my family at their local temple. The ceremony began at sunset with the loud, cracking sound of prayer blocks, the soft, warm, resonant strike of a gong, and then a group chant that lasted well into the dark of the night. Rows of paper lanterns swayed in the dark night, while the rich perfume of incense lingered in the air. I was hypnotized by the monk’s relentless prayer, which seemed never ending. As I contemplated the long prayer, it occurred to me that other temples on the mountain were proceeding through the same prayers, and countless voices in Korea and at other Buddhist temples around the world were joined in a cacophony of prayer. Then it also occurred to me that halfway around the globe, my family would be at church praying at the very same moment, and suddenly the differences between Catholic mass and Buddhist chant seemed to melt away. Although the ideas and creeds might differ, at the heart of both displays of prayer lie the same depth of devotion. Buddhist chant, Gregorian plainchant, hymns, chorales - all are concentrated acts of spirituality taking the form of musical prayer, all of which found their way into the fabric of this piece.
Commissioned in consortium by Western Brass Quintet, Gaudete Brass, Potsdam Brass Quintet, eGALitarian Quintet, and Dry Heat Brass, led by Dr. David Mercedes.
