A Vision Unfolding
Anthems of a Crowd, Part 1

by Derrick Spiva Jr.
featuring the Yale Glee Club

When composer Derrick Spiva Jr. introduced the design team and the singers to "A Vision Unfolding", he spoke at length about two fundamental truths of being human:
Deep down, we all have a longing to feel loved.
Deep down, we all have a want to feel like we belong.
And until that belonging is no longer belayed by those who don't want things to change... we must continue to strive towards that better, beloved tomorrow.

That, to me, is the Vision Unfolding.

This is a movement from a larger work entitled 'Anthems of a Crowd' and there are many sources of inspiration for this work. Several sections are inspired by "the improvised alap musical form that often introduces classical Hindustani (North Indian) music, repeating compound meters often heard in traditional Eastern European music, rhythmic patterns from traditional Ewe music from the Volta region of Ghana, and the tight relationship between linguistics and rhythm found in spoken word poetry."