We Stand on Their Shoulders
We Stand on Their Shoulders
Kyle Pederson (2022)
Voicing: SATB with treble trio (or full SSA treble choir)
Accompaniment: piano
Text: Charles Anthony Silvestri
Commissioned by Dr. Lee Nelson and Dr. Nicki Toliver for the Wartburg College Meistersinger Honor Choir Festival
LYRICS
Broken and weary, but spirits held high,
Their march toward freedom led them to cry,
“We have a dream of a people set free
The broken made whole, the blind made to see!”
Their courage has testified, showing us all—
We stand on their shoulders, and issue our call:
Our name is Pride
We are Diversity
Our name is Strength
We are Unity
No one gets to say who we are
No one gets to make us hide
We decide what power we have
Our name is Pride
Our brothers and sisters have struggled long
To lift up their voices, in protest and song.
So many came forward and into the light,
Guiding our way toward justice and right.
Their courage has testified, calling us all
To stand on their shoulders, stand strong and stand tall!
Our name is Pride
We are Diversity
Our name is Strength
We are Unity
No one gets to say who we are
No longer can they stem the tide
We decide what power we have
Our name is Pride
About the piece:
This piece was commissioned for the Wartburg College Meistersinger high school choral festival, which was held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January of 2020. We chose this particular Anthony Silvestri text because it speaks so powerfully to the pain and promise of the Civil Rights movement, but the text also speaks more broadly to all people who are struggling with oppression and whose voices have not always been heard or honored. This piece is intended to be an anthem of hope and empowerment reminding both the performers and the audience that others do not have the right to define us, to take away our power, or to make us hide. As we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us we are invited to look around, celebrate the beautiful diversity we see, take pride in who we are, and work for justice.
Performance Notes:
We Stand on Their Shoulders was premiered by a treble chorus and a mixed chorus with the treble chorus singing the treble trio parts and joining with the Soprano and Alto parts on the rest of the piece. This work functions well as a festival piece if you have a treble chorus and a mixed chorus joining forces.
If performing this work with only a mixed chorus then the treble trio parts may be performed by three individual voices or by a small ensemble.
The verses can be performed alternatively by one soloist, by multiple soloists each singing a few measures, or by an entire section.