THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE JOY

An oratorio for SATB Choir, Soloists, Organ,and Orchestra

Duration: 70 minutes

Instrumentation: 3(3rd dbl. picc.)2,E.H., 3(3rd dbl. bass cl.) 3(3rd dbl. c.bsn.)/4331/timp.3 perc/harp/celesta/piano/organ/strings and SATB chorus with soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor, and baritone soloists

Program Note:

That They Might Have Joy draws its title from a sermon given by the Book of Mormon prophet Lehi, who taught succinctly: “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Ne. 2:25). The central message of the oratorio reinforces one of the primary tenets of Latter-day Saint theology: that humankind lives in a fallen world in which we are subject to disappointment, illness, the chaos of malevolence, and death. Notwithstanding the travails of mortal life, the redemption through Jesus Christ promises that all can experience joy—not only in some future hereafter—but now, in the flesh.

The oratorio distributes its material over four acts or ‘parts’ framed around various narratives of Adam and Eve, their children, and other scriptural vignettes. Each of the four parts represents, respectively: creation and expulsion from the Garden of Eden and ensuing events; the toil of mortality; death; and resurrection. The Adam and Eve story provide narrative context throughout, while the theme of each part turns to moments from the life of Christ for illustration and illumination. Periodic reflections from the Psalms also serve to give depth, meaning, and perspective to the themes at hand. While That They Might Have Joy does not tell a story in the traditional sense, the evolution from principle to principle are clear, with hopes that each listener and performer will find for themselves a sanctuary in this music, wherein they might contemplate the great questions of existence and its inherent joy.

Premiered March 15th, 2024 at Utah State University in Logan, UT.

Commissioned by Brigham Young University-Idaho Music Department