Prayer at Winter Solstice

Dana Gioia's prayer in the manner of The Beatitudes touches upon some uncommon ideas for recepients of blessings. The point seems to be that many things are blessed that, at first consideration, might not seem to be. Robert Schuneman's setting for male chorus is mostly homophonic and hymn-like, but it also includes passages that are chant-like and polyphonic with thinner choral textures for the sake of contrast. Each blessing receives its own musical treatment and has its own mood. It is as if they are all miniature compositions performed attacca.