
At that time I was singing with the Harford Choral Society. The conductor, Arlen Clarke, was also a composer and took an interest in helping me in my solo and choral writing. When he looked over my first draft of "Come Sing to the Lord," he said, "Here's an idea for you that could make this piece a lot more fun." Then he told me about his, at that time, current fascination with "unresolved ninths."
Most people will understand how when two notes are only a half or whole step apart, they rub together and provide tension. But usually, they resolve to a more stable interval such as a third. A pretty common example of this is at a cadence when the 4th of the major scale is rubbed up next to the 5th scale degree and it wants to resolve to the 3rd. That would be the F and G rubbing together in a G7 chord with a strong pull to resolve to the tonic chord C major.
Well, just know that there are other examples of "rubs" that provide tension. including 7ths, 9ths, and other juicy intervals and chords.
Well, Maestro Clarke noticed the places in my song that I put tension in between the singer's notes, but I always resolved them. He encouraged me to leave some of these partial cadences unresolved. He said that doing that would heighten the interest especially at the climax on the word "VICTORY." The resolution would come later during the piano interlude and/or modulation to the new key. So, with trepidation, I tried it.
When we sang yesterday, I wondered what kind of reactions I might get, especially from knowledgeable musicians in the congregation. Most people complimented us on the usual things like, "That music was so lovely!" "Your voices blended together in a way that only family can!" or "I loved how your voices wove above and below each other in such a fun way!"
But having my music be compared to Mendelssohn ... that was a highlight! Now I just have to figure out a time when Cami and I can record it before she moves to Albany...