Maria Thompson Corley
(for SAT chorus + piano)
Curriculum Guide by Alexis Peart
Castle of Our Skins | Boston Public Schools Collection
 
Proceeds from this sale supports Castle of our Skins education programs and Rising Tide Music & Arts composer pathway projects.
 
From the composer:
 
I wrote “Peace, Peace, My Soul” specifically for a Castle of our Skins commission for the New Mission School in Boston, MA. I chose the topic from three the students expressed an interest in exploring musically. All of them appealed to me (the other two were spirituality and cultural pride); perhaps the war raging in the Middle East, yet another highly publicized mass shooting, and other looming existential problems made a poem about finding tranquility come to me most
easily.

Once I had the image of a soul folding its weary wings, I looked for others that would complement it. The current situation feels like a tempest. I chose the phrase “climb above the storm” because it’s impossible to achieve inner peace without finding quiet, either internal or external. Climbing is work; the other ways to get above something didn’t seem to convey enough struggle. The middle of the poem consists of reminders and instructions. To become centered, we have to make a conscious decision to shut out distractions. I chose “calm decision” rather than “conscious decision” because the former implies
more detachment from the elements swirling around us, sort of like being in the eye of the storm. Deep, rhythmic breathing is an age-old pathway to serenity. After we have stilled our minds, we can go forth, energized, and ride above the fray.
 
To me, nothing is more inspiring than watching a bird riding the wind currents, not flapping its wings, but just soaring. I hope something from the experience of singing this piece stays with the student musicians in a way that inspires them to persevere, regardless of life’s ubiquitous obstacles.

-Maria Thompson Corley