Jackson Berkey

Thoughts & Remembrances: I. Isaiah 44:3

Thoughts and Remembrances, April 1996, is a collection of pieces that celebrate the universal love and connection between parent or guardian and child. The deep familial roots nourished from generation to generation are remembered tenderly and with deep respect. Early in 1995, Friends of Soli Deo Gloria Cantorum, Nebraska's Professional Chorale, presented a commission to Jackson Berkey to compose a work in memory of his and his wife Almeda's departed mothers, both of whom died in 1994. Isaiah 44:3 expresses a beautiful promise from God to His people. An ancient text set to a chant-like melody by the composer hearkens back to the sound of Hebrew melody. Beginning from barely audible sounds, the choral dynamics progress fully as the work unfolds. The repetition of the chant develops both through extensions in the voice parts as well as in the accompaniment. While the melody remains constant throughout, harmonic extensions occur in the underlying parts. The choral setting seems to develop roots almost figuratively as the promise of God takes root and nourishes generation after generation of His people's seed upon the earth.