Under Hard Light - Piano and Electronics, Score (PDF Edition)

Performance Note:

Inspiration for Under Hard Light came after a visit to Palestine in August 2017, with social justice choir VOICES 21C. We gave a workshop and performed for the Amwaj Choir, containing grade school students from Hebron and Bethlehem. Members of VOICES 21C keep in contact with many of the children, yet one student who wasn’t at the workshop (and never met us), requested me on social media when we got back to the United States. He speaks no English, and often sends me audio clips of his singing, through Facebook messenger with no context.

I was particularly inspired by one of his audio messages, listening to it again and again for two straight weeks, to the point where I started to improvise over it. My homestay contact in Nazareth Illit revealed to me the source of this song: a verse of A Huwa da illi saar, essentially an Egyptian patriotic song sung in the 1920’s, when the British were in control over a large part of the Middle East.

“How can you blame me, oh our master?

When the riches of our country are not even in our hands?

Speak of things that would benefit us

and then come back to blaming me”

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Another deeply moving verse is sung later on in the song, and due to its subject I feel a strong connection with this boy I have only ever met through song, and recognize with pride the struggle and resilience of people in the face of corrupt power in both our countries.

“And instead of allowing an envious hater to be happy

at our expense,

Put your hand in mine

Get up and let’s fight

Then we would all become one hand

and the hands would become strong.”