Reflection Of Weep No More By David N. Childs

For this final project, several classmates and I have assembled an eight-part vocal ensemble, accompanied by a pianist. We have chosen a piece that also has eight-parts, to add variety and layers on the basis of each vocal part. This piece we are performing as an ensemble is titled “Weep No More,” arranged and composed by David N. Childs, and adapted from a poem by John Keats. David N. Childs is a well-known freelance composer of music, with his ideology being, “music has the power to transform lives for the better,” (“Biography”). Childs’s goal as a conductor and composer also includes composing powerful and engaging music in hope of improving the human condition (“Biography). Our personal goals in performing this piece are to portray how …show more content…
We chose these topics as one of the main themes of the piece is to not mourn those that have passed, but rather to treasure their memory and celebrate their life. This piece in and of itself centers around these topics, as those who are grieving are experiencing different stages of sadness, anger, and remembrance after a loved one has passed. Childs captures this perfectly in “Weep No More” as the song moves through this process of grief as any human being would. This is seen in the text initiating the previously mentioned modulations throughout the piece. An example of this lies within the phrase “Dry your eyes! oh, dry your eyes! For I was taught in Paradise, to ease my breast of melodies,” (Keats lines 5-7). The previous F# minor key modulates into a temporary major key to signify the change of mood from sad and sullen to a more cheerful if not comforting mood as the text focuses on celebration of memory rather than loss. Overall, the piece is consistently emotive and unique in that the music itself along with the poetry creates a beautifully arranged means of reflecting and remembering after the loss of a loved