The Music of Elizabeth Alexander

We Remember Them

A tender embrace of those we have loved and lost

Music: Elizabeth Alexander

Words: Rabbis Sylvan Kamens / Jack Riemer

A tender setting of “A Litany of Remembrance,” a beloved meditation on death and memory by Rabbis Sylvan Kamens and Jack Riemer. Unfolding with simplicity and grace, this imaginative, harmonically rich piece reflects the multifaceted experience of love and loss. Appropriate for All Souls Day, Memorial Day, or memorial services.

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Text

A Litany of Remembrance

In the rising of the sun and in its going down,
we remember them.
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
we remember them.
In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring,
we remember them.
In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer,
we remember them.
In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
we remember them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
we remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
we remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart,
we remember them.
When we have joys we yearn to share,
we remember them.
So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are now a part of us,
as we remember them.

Poem by Rabbi Sylvan Kamens and Rabbi Jack Riemer
© by the Central Conference of American Rabbis. From Gates of Prayer (Central Conference of American Rabbis). Used by permission of the publisher

Performers

Performers

Premiere: Walden Hill Vocal Ensemble / Joe Mish (Rochester, MN)
Arcadian Chorale / Marina Alexander (Rumson, Aberdeen and Manalapan, NJ)
Choir of First Unitarian Society of Wilmington / Scott Ward (Wilmington, DE)
Choir of First Unitarian Universalist of Columbus / Brandon Moss (Columbus, OH)
Choir of Unitarian Church of Los Alamos / Nylea Butler-Moore (Los Alamos, NM)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs / Michael Harrison (Saratoga Springs, NY)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Boca Raton / Stephanie Nixdorf (Boca Raton, FL)
Choir of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of LaCrosse / Becky Post (La Crosse, WI)
Choir of Woodinville Unitarian Universalist / Marian Johnson (Woodinville, WA)
Festival Choir of Madison / Bruce Gladstone (Madison, WI)
Phoenix Chorale / Dierdre McClure. Concert for Victims of Gun Violence (Portland, ME)
St. Edward’s University Chorale / Morris Stevens (Pflugerville, RX)
Twin Cities Jewish Chorale / Sara Cowan (Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN)
Walden Hill Vocal Ensemble / Joe Mish (St. Paul, MN)