War is Kind Daniel McCarthy

with SATB Choir
Choir with Band
Number of Players:Standard + Choir
Copyright:2002
Piccolo
Flute 1/2
Oboe 1/2
Bb Clarinet 1
Bb Clarinet 2/3
Bass Clarinet
Bassoon 1/2
Alto Saxophone 1/2
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Bb Trumpet 1
Bb Trumpet 2/3
F Horn 1/2
F Horn 3
Trombone 1
Trombone 2/3
Euphonium
Tuba
Piano
Timpani
Percussion 1 (vibraphone, chimes, snare drum, suspended cymbal, marimba, crash cymbals)
Percussion 2 (tam-tam, bass drum, 2 low tom-toms, temple blocks, crash cymbals, wind chimes, suspended cymbal)
SATB Choir
After the events of September 11, 2001, many composers and artists jumped on the 9/11 "bandwagon" to create pieces on that timely subject. So I must say immediately that "War Is Kind" is not really a piece about 9/11. But, being a child of the late sixties and early seventies, I remember the Vietnam war, although I was too young to be drafted. My generation, it seems, was very lucky to then come of age during a relatively long period of peace. But, war is once again a major concern in our country with the gulf war seemingly leading to the new war in Afghanistan.

It is with this in mind that I have been thinking about my older friends and colleagues who fought in WWII and Korea. It is awesome to comprehend being the age of 18 and staring in the face of annihilation. Still, many of these people did what they must and are alive today to tell me about their lives....

So, three of the four movements from "War Is Kind" are about; the awesome power unleashed in the machinery of war and the fear that there may be an end to the world as we know it (Beat!Beat!Drums! by Walt Whitman); the odd dichotomy in the text that seemingly was written to console a grieving parent, lover, or another who has lost a loved one - when one wonders how their loved one died - did they suffer? "Do not weep, War is kind." (War is Kind by Stephen Crane); and the utter despair of James Joyce's "I Hear An Army" (My love, my love, my love, why have you left me alone?)

I am also aware of the battles that we must fight in our personal and professional lives. So the last movement, "Beyond the Havens" is about reconciliation and healing. It is titled partly after the last chapter of "the Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien.