A Soldier’s Peace is a simple song for unison or 3-part choir and piano accompaniment paying tribute to Remembrance Day, with a nod to Ives in the descant. The optional 3-part harmonization is divisible between any combination of treble, men’s, or mixed voices, making it a flexible choice for elementary and intermediate ensembles.
A Soldier’s Peace was first performed by Sir Winston Churchill High School Choir in Calgary, Alberta on Remembrance Day, 2016 November 11.
Text authored by myself is as follows:
A Soldier’s Peace
There’s no fear like a mother’s fear
For her child’s departing day,
There’s no pain like a mother’s pain
When her child is torn away.
There’s no pride like a father’s pride
For the fame his child has won,
There’s no joy like a father’s joy
When his child is safely home.
When all that’s pure turns fire and ash,
Then the verdicts of war are passed:
To make gain through a mother’s pain
For her child who’s cruelly slain.
There’s no love like a soldier’s love
For the home they left behind,
There’s no peace like a soldier’s peace
When laid rest a final time.
When all that’s pure turns fire and ash,
Then the verdicts of war are passed:
To make peace through a soldier’s peace
When they’re laid to rest at last.
If you are interested in performing any of my pieces, contact me here.
2016 September 20