O Star of Strength 

SSA Divisi and Piano

 

$2.00 per score

About the Work

O Star of Strength was commissioned by Seattle Girls Choir for their 40th Anniversary, and was premiered in June of 2022. Scored for SSA Voices and Piano, it sets a text by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, exploring the journey to one's inner strength and resilience. In 2023, it received Honorable Mention in the ACDA Focus Prize for Treble Choirs.

Text

The night is come,

but not too soon; 

And sinking silently,

All silently,

the little moon

Drops down behind the sky.

​

There is no light in earth or heaven  

But the cold light of stars;

And the first watch of night is given  

To the red planet Mars.

​

Within my breast there is no light  

But the cold light of stars;

I give the first watch of the night  

To the red planet Mars.

​

Is it the tender star of love?  

The star of love and dreams?

No! from that blue tent above,  

A hero's armor gleams.

​

O star of strength!

I see thee stand  

And smile upon my pain;

Thou beckonest with thy mailèd hand,  

And I am strong again.

​

The star of the unconquered will,  

He rises in my breast,

Serene, and resolute, and still,  

And calm, and self-possessed.

​

O fear not in a world like this,  

And thou shalt know erelong,

Know how sublime a thing it is  

To suffer and be strong.

       From A Light of Stars by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)