Mother of Exiles

$2.99

SAB Perusal Score | SSA Perusal Score | SATB Perusal Score

This piece blends the striking and timeless text of Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus” with a haunting Ukrainian folk song evoking longing for the land of one’s birth. “The New Colossus” is emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty and is best known for its concluding lines:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

But less famous is a passage that proceeds it

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome. 
which forms the central chorus of this moving piece celebrating the immigrant experience in all of its joy, pain, and complexity.

Note: This is a digital download (PDF).

You must buy a copy of the music for every member of your ensemble.

Additional information

Voicing

SATB, SSA, SAB

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