5 PILLARS

Ensemble Tenor, Percussion, and Piano

Duration 27:30

Completed 2012

Text The Bible, adapted by Paul Winchester

Cost Score - $30, Percussion Part - $15

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After writing several pieces exploring themes of Christianity and setting the Bible, I became interested in writing music that dealt with religion outside of my own upbringing. As America was falling deeper into the throes of Islamophobia, I became particularly intrigued by the idea of setting the Qoran. What I learned, however, is that, unlike setting the Bible, setting the Islamic holy text would be considered sacrilegious. So instead, “5 Pillars” returns to the setting of Biblical texts, but the texts were selected to reflect the theology of the Five Pillars of Islam, hoping to portray the idea that when you look past the surface level differences of expression between the two religions, the core values and calls to action are rather similar.