The Best Thing in the World (2015)

for SATB Chorus a cappella

Duration: 6 min

Commission: Khorikos

Premiere: Khorikos, November 7, 2015; New York, NY

Text:    Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861

The Best Thing in the World

Program Notes: One of the things that immediately drew me to this poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning was the opening line: What’s the best thing in the world? It actively invites the reader to reflect on this question and by answering creates a space of gratitude in which Barrett Browning’s beautiful imagery lives and breathes.I was impressed with the way Barrett Browning was able to list her “best things” one after another, yet, from a formal perspective, the poem does not read like a list. Each idea flows beautifully to the next, vividly expressing her answers to the question. My goal was a similar one during the composing process.  I wanted to capture musically the uniqueness and emotional expressivity of each individual idea, while creating a sense of belonging together. 

“The Best Thing in the World” was commissioned by Khorikos and premiered on November 7, 2015 in New York, NY.