From the End of the Earth was performed at Ella’s Senior
Composition Recital, held at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. The libretto for this 
piece is taken from Psalm 61, by David. The psalm begins with an imploring tone, calling on 
God to answer prayers being made “from the end of the earth.” As it continues, the text reflects 
assurance in God’s faithfulness and strength in His truth.

Performed Spring of 2020 by members of the Whitworth Choir.

From The End Of The Earth

Every summer of my childhood, my family drove cross-country from Ohio to Wyoming to stay in my grandmother’s cabin. I fondly recall sitting in the back of our van for the three-day journey, lost in a reverie while looking out the window and listening to CD’s of Edgar Meyer and Mark O’Connor. For myself, their music is strongly tied to my memory of our destination: a cabin nestled in an aspen grove at the foot of a mountain, very near a place called Wood’s Landing. This quartet is reminiscent of Wood’s Landing, bringing in slight programmatic hints of the shimmering aspen leaves, peaceful antelope, and quite bird calls heard in the ornamented motives which pass between the instruments. Additionally, sections of the piece nod to the Appalachian music listened to on these long treks, still very dear to me.

12/11/2018

Woods Landing

Disconnect is a set-based piece, drawn from twelve randomly generated numbers correlating to the twelve notes
of a scale. Though parts of both cello and piano are drawn from the same set of notes, there is a disconnection
between their voices. In sparse moments of harmonic unity, the voices are at peace with one another, offering a
glimpse of untainted, former beauty. However, the disconnect - often realized by use of tonal ambiguity and
rhythmic incongruence - steadily builds throughout the piece, climaxing at a point of extreme disharmony and
improvisatory chaos. The ending is written without a time signature, adding an indeterminate element. This
contributes to the ethereal, aimless exit of the two voices, their disconnection almost more pronounced by their
subtle, individual wanderings.

Disconnect

Last summer I discovered the poem “Peace, My Heart” by Rabindranath Tagore. At the time, I was pondering the essence of peace while enjoying the slower routine of summer, and found Tagore’s words very sweet. The poem relays a quieting of the soul in times of loss, and the beauty of lifting up the lives of those who have passed. Low, warm pedal tones in the piano accompaniment begin and end the piece, embodying a sense of quietude. The bridge reflects longing for peace, incorporating overlapping, modulated fragments of the primary tonic-dominant melody line, indicating the desire for peace and the struggle to attain it.

Peace, My Heart

This acapella piece for SATB was inspired by Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem, “The Oak.” The poem bids the listener observe the oak tree as an example of how to go boldly through the stages of life, each brilliant in their own way. The quiet strength of the melodic line reveals the meaning of the libretto through use of text painting, suspensions and modulation.

The Oak

The Redwood National Park is home to some of the oldest, largest trees in the world. Several of these giants have lived for over 2,000 years, and can span 24 feet in diameter. A sense of still pervades the forests, with quietly towering trees and very little seen motion. Sunbeams break through the canopy, highlighting intricacies of the forest that would otherwise go unnoticed; white vines dangling from a Redwood, or a lowly spruce in the shadows. The canopy overhead is the ultimate cover and habitat to flying squirrels and birds, too high to be seen from the forest floor. This piece features impressionistic harmonies, modal melodies, and piano harmonics in attempt to bring the listener into the ancient world of the Redwoods.

Ella Wilkinson

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