About:  The text for this piece comes from Jeremiah 17:9-10. The music follows these two verses - from unsettling question to definitive response. The tonal center is constantly shifting - the poet wonders, who can know the heart? It is desperately wicked, and for a moment, it seems inscrutable, irredeemable. Yet after the question is thoroughly contemplated, the answer comes: The Lord, Yahweh, searches the heart, tries the reigns, and gives everyone according to their ways and the fruit of their deeds. The words “ways” and “fruit” echo in the listener’s ear - a sort of benediction.

Instrumentation:  SATB choir

Duration:  ca. 7 minutes

Text:  Jeremiah 17:9-10

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