About this piece: "The syllabic chordal passages have a tremendous tender sense of wonder to them: 'Great work is done while we sleep' says the poet, and Maxfield’s setting reflects the mystic side of night. The setting ends with a radiant choral explosion on the word 'joy' itself, replacing that sense of straight truth the poet brought; an interesting, and stimulating, juxtaposition of readings of the same text."—Fanfare Magazine
Text by Wendell Berry. Music by Andrew Maxfield. This zesty piece mixes an up-tempo, Appalachian-sounding exploration of the idea of finding joy in work with the reverence of realizing that we depend on nature for all that we have.
- Great concert opener/closer
- Duration: 3 mins, 30 seconds
- For unaccompanied choir (SATB, with limited divisi)
- Advanced high school, college, and up
- Recorded by Salt Lake Vocal Artists, Brady R. Allred, Director
- Performed by Berea College Concert Choir, ACDA Southern Division Conference Youth Choir, and others.