Tree of Life

Score and Parts (PDF Delivery): $125.00

Score Only (PDF Delivery): $30.00

GRADE 5

On October 27, 2018, congregants gathered at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for what was supposed to be a normal Shabbat service. However, a Neo-Nazi entered the synagogue with an AR-15 and multiple handguns, killing eleven members and injuring six others. This attack is one of many antisemitic attacks in the past few years, resulting in Jews worrying for their safety across the country. I wanted to write a piece to honor those lost in this incident, but also to write a piece addressing antisemitism in general. While thinking of this topic, I started to think about my struggles with religion and Judaism. While I mainly wanted to address antisemitism, I also wanted a way to deal with my emotions toward religion. Thus, Tree of Life was written.

Tree of Life is based on two hymns with Judaic origins: Tree of Life and Jerusalem of Gold. These two hymns are throughout, culminating together twice, once quietly in the piano solo and at the finale. The piece goes back and forth from soloistic writing to very dense full writing, culminating in the finale with the end of the Tree of Life hymn. In the middle of the piece, there is a call from the ensemble over a soft piano solo that happens eleven times, one for each of the lives lost in the shooting.