Hey team,
So, after three months of composing and two months of rehearsal… it’s out!
“Ghosts of Vimy” is a work for band and choir that I wrote for my school’s (Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School *whew!*) Remembrance Day service. Based on the painting (of the same name) by William Longstaff, it tells the stories of three sets of the ghosts who scale the hill. The soldiers are represented by the choir, who sing to audience as their voice, pleading for the audience to learn from their message. The first story is about a father leaving his child — the father needs to leave him, but his child (who doesn’t understand) begs him to stay. The second story is about two lovers: The woman who accepts him for who he is and the man who needs to prove himself to his love. The third story is of two friends, eager to pursue war, dreaming the glory they will receive as heroes, but are shocked when the horror of war is not the adventure that they anticipated.
As the story is told entirely by the ghosts, it is implied that none of the characters in our story survive, demonstrating that every friend, family and citizen was affected by the war. All of the stories are connected by a single word, called out by the choir as a mass of spirits spreading their story: “Remember.”
Over the next couple of posts, I want to delve into the practice and process of conceiving, composing, rehearsing and then performing the work, as well as look at the background and each story in more detail.
But first, here is the piece!
Lyrics:
Memories pass through the night,
Let our stories be your light.
Through darkness, through nightmares,
Let this one word be your guide.
Remember, remember.
1st story:
My boy, I love you so,
Like the night loves the shining moon.
Sweet dreams, until I see you
Memories of just us two,
My boy, I’ll be home soon.
My boy I have to go (don’t leave me)
But letters I will send. (please don’t go)
Be good ’til I return, (stay with me)
Work hard and always learn (and hold me)
Until we meet again (please don’t go, I need you)
Until we meet again (please don’t do, oh father)
Until we meet again.
Remember, remember…
2nd Story:
(female)
Please, my love, you do not need to fight,
To be lost among the ground, to be taken by the night.
Please, my love, don’t go or I will cry,
You cannot save them all, stay and let them deal with all their plight.
(male)
Hold on, it will be glorious
Come, men, we shall be brave!
Come, war! We’ll be victorious
(together)
Be strong so you can fight with courage, fight for justice
Fight for all – WE’LL FIGHT UNTIL WE DIE!
Remember, remember…
3rd story:
To war (My friend), My friend! (To war!)
And heroes we will be!
Adventure lies before us and rewards for victory!
In simply one more minute, our boots will hit the ground,
Our bullets will be shot and cheers of triumph will resound!
My friend, to war! To war, my friend! To war!
(Ready, men! 3-2-1!)
This is war…
This is war…
No glory, no adventure.
This must be the last great fall
The last great war to end them all,
O children, heed our final call
The last great war to end them all,
REMEMBER! REMEMBER!
Memories pass through the night,
Let our stories be your light
Through darkness, through nightmares,
Let this one word be your guide…
Remember, remember…
