Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, “A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Certainly there are at least three cords, or strands, of friendship that have characterized the relationship of composer K. Lee Scott with the Cherry Creek Chorale and especially with one of its members, Ron Lester.
Ron has been a member of the chorale for over 15 years, first joining us because he was looking for variety and fun in the music being performed as well as a certain amount of flexibility in rehearsal attendance due to his work schedule. (I wonder what other chorales he looked at! Our rehearsal schedule is pretty demanding, to my mind at least.) He ended up serving on the board in various capacities and feeling such a part of the group that when he and his wife Ann started estate planning, he says, “We thought it would be a lot more fun to give a gift to the Chorale now and be a part of that gift.”
They decided on a set of commissioned pieces dedicated to the Chorale but having a life beyond it, so something by a known composer would be the way to go. Why did they choose K. Lee Scott as that composer? He is indeed an internationally-known composer and arranger of choral music. The chorale has performed his music several times, including several sections from his contemporary requiem mass Lux Aeterna in spring 2014. Here’s where the second strand of friendship enters the cord: Scott came across a reference online in the “Behind the Music” material that I had written about that piece. He ended up watching our performance and contacting our conductor, Brian Leatherman, to say how much he enjoyed it. A relationship began between him and the Chorale, so it was natural for Scott’s name to be the first one considered when the Lesters were looking for a composer. As work began on the first of the three pieces, “Friendship,” Ron says that there was true collaboration, with Scott asking him questions about themes and musical ideas. Since Brahms is a favorite of Ron’s, Scott included some lovely flowing triplets in the piano accompaniment and a big sound overall. The text grew out of an Italian proverb that our conductor especially likes: “chi trova un amico trova un tesoro,” which translates as “he who finds a friend finds a treasure.” All well and good, said Scott, but that’s not enough to build a whole piece around. You need something more. How about . . . and he came up with the section beginning, ”Do you know what friendship is?” from Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
The text itself forms the third strand of friendship, as it deals with that actual subject. I was hoping to find the origin of the Italian proverb, but no such luck. While it’s listed on a website of such sayings and therefore seems to be authentic, there’s no source given. If you google the proverb the first search result that comes up is a 1981 movie about . . . well, the plot summary is a bit hard to follow. Something about castaways, and con men, and pirates, and fake money. You can read a hilariously-translated Wikipedia entry at “Who Finds a Friend Finds a Treasure.” The Hugo reference was much easier to track down. Gringroire the poet is talking to the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda:
“Do you know what friendship is?” he asked.
“Yes,” replied the gypsy; “it is to be brother and sister; two souls which touch without mingling, two fingers on one hand.”
She would have been better advised to pursue friendship rather than her obsessive love for the soldier Phoebus which results ultimately in her death.
The commission as a whole, though, was for three pieces (there’s another set of three!), with the titles “Consider the Lilies” and “The True Glory” for the additional two. Our conductor told us at rehearsal that he suggested the words for “Lilies,” which are drawn from the book of Matthew, chapter 6, verses 26-29, part of the so-called “Sermon on the Mount” by Jesus. Mr. Leatherman also suggested the two quotations that“Glory” weaves together, at least one of which came from a school administrator that he worked with in his first year of teaching. The first one is from Sir Francis Drake, the sea captain who was the first to actually lead his fleet all the way around the globe (Magellan died on the way) from 1577 to 1580 and also helped defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588. The words are from a letter he wrote while at sea in 1587, almost certainly referring to the coming battle with Spain: “There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory.” The second is from William H. Murray, a 20th-century Scottish mountaineer: “The moment one is committed, then Providence moves as well.” I do wish I had the space here to give you Murray’s complete biography, as he’s a fascinating character. He wrote the words in our piece as part of a diary he kept while a POW during World War II; when his first manuscript was found and destroyed by his captors he simply got to work on re-writing it.
As for K. Lee Scott’s composing process, here’s a fascinating tidbit from an interview he gave:
What is your compositional process like?
My compositional process varies a bit. Usually I receive a commission and settlement is made on a text and type of composition it is to be, i.e., is it to be meditative or celebratory. Once this comes about, I am off and running. The text can suggest rhythms and even intervals. With a few scraps a larger picture begins to emerge. Musical ideas do not chase me around when I’m taking a shower or mowing the lawn. Ideas usually come to me when I begin work on a composition. I pity composers for whom musical ideas come unannounced. That must be inconvenient. (from an interview by his publisher, Morningstar Music.)
So this lovely set of pieces, originally commissioned for our 35th season of 2014-2015, is now making a reappearance for our 40th. These seasons also mark the 20th and 25th anniversaries of our conductor’s tenure with the Chorale. We welcome the opportunity to present them again.
© Debi Simons
