All of Us Be Free – SATB

Description

Written to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, this energetic and moving work sets the text of fugitive slave William W. Brown with text inspired by the abolitionist writings of Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury. The piece highlights the text “when all hate is turned to love, then heaven and earth shall blend.” The piece concludes with a rousing mixed-meter declamation, “When all are free, then freedom shall reign!”. The resounding chorus “Cease we not the fight of faith, till all of us be free,” is taken from the The Anti-Slavery Harp, 1848 and highlights both the considerable obstacles that have been overcome since the mid-19th century while at the same time gives voice to the continued struggle for freedom throughout the world.