SSAATTBB a cappella duration 6:00
An 8th century German monk sits alone in a candle-lit room and attempts, through the limits of quill and ink, to contemplate life before human thought. His written revelations have come to be known as The Wessobrunn Prayer, and remain one of the oldest living poetic texts written in High German.
“There Was The One” is written as a sort of journey through this text. One can feel the isolation of private thought in the opening solo passage, building slowly in form and structure as the implications of “nothing” begin to take solid and practical form. The piece continues to musically ebb and flow along with the monk’s thoughts until his recognition of God’s power dawns, and the dynamics and texture build to a climax. One can feel his heart pick up the pace, as English, German, Latin, and Spanish declare the Almighty God; as if to say that these truths are relevant for people of every tongue, tribe, and nation.
The piece ends as it began; leaving the solitary monk once again in the company of his quill and ink, his candle flickering down to its nub, and his mind and heart filled with the light of revelation
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Joy DeCoursey-Porter 