Incantation

SATB Choir, a Cappella

In October of 2018, the Duquesne University Composer’s Society (affectionately called DUCS for short) held a Halloween-themed composition contest, and I knew I wanted to enter it. I stumbled across the poem “Incantation” by George Parsons Lathrop, and immediately knew it was the text I wanted to set. There is a clear pre-ritual, ritual, and post-ritual structure, with the ritual growing in intensity until the post-ritual has a sense of eerie calm. Also, the line “Autumn work thy witchery!” was a perfect theme for the piece that acted as a rhythmic undertone. I wrote the piece in a month, with frequent sprints from my dorm room to a practice room when I had ideas. And yes, it won the DUCS contest.

 Asymmetrical and mixed meters to make the piece feel unnatural, yet have driving motion. All dynamic changes, articulations, and contrasts in the piece should be treated very dramatically and exaggerated for their fullest effect. And, make sure the sopranos ham up the vocal effects!

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The piece was premiered by the Continuum Vocal Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. John McDonald at their "Haunted" concert, on October 25th 2025. My deepest thanks goes out to them for a fabulous performance and recording!