Island Home

Program Notes

The beginning of Island Home depicts the unique sunrise experienced in Kona. I witness this every day during my early morning walks. The sun is already up, but Kona is still in the shadow of Hualālai (or Mauna Loa or Mauna Kea, depending upon where you live), so the sun backlights the mountain (“mountain haloed by sun”), promising a new day about to begin. This is the scene at the start of the music, heard first in the orchestra as a short overture, followed by the choir quietly singing the first lines of text “Peaceful, gentle sunrise”. As day breaks, the music builds as we sing about the Island’s grandeur: “crown of sky”, “lei of clouds”, and “emerald slopes sweeping down”.

This majestic scene leads to the chorus “Hear the singing! Vibrant singing!” first sung by the tenors—we hear the Island coming to life as she awakens to a new day, hence the piece’s subtitle “Awakening”. What better way to honor this vitality than through singing!

The second verse starts at the ocean, the Island’s “feet of sand”, where we find the “diamond waves harboring Life”. We are reminded of the Island’s sustaining power and how this affects us spiritually: “riches most cherished sustain our spirit”.

This is, indeed, a “precious home”, a “sacred ‘āina”. In this third verse, the music builds—listen to the orchestra’s depiction of “the land born of fire” as the piece climaxes. The final chorus implores us to “join the singing”—that is, join in all that is cherished, that is sacred, that is teeming with life—join in appreciation of our “Island Home”. This is the second, spiritual “Awakening” referenced by the subtitle.

Kona Choral Society commissioned Island Home to celebrate their 30th anniversary. They requested a signature piece that speaks about the joys of singing and that can be performed in a variety of circumstances. We looked for a poem that I could set to music, but I ended up finding inspiration in the Island itself during my sunrise walks. The initial musical ideas and the text developed together—I’d jot down imagery I observed around me, and this led to musical ideas. I really feel that the Island helped me write the poetry and the music.

The music is written to be performed a variety of ways—it can be performed a cappella (unaccompanied), with piano, or with orchestra.

—Christopher Lee Fraley (April 2023)

Performance Notes

Island Home is designed to be performed three different ways: (1) with orchestra, (2) with piano accompaniment, or (3) unaccompanied (i.e. a cappella). Stepwise vocal lines, comfortable ranges, and a steady pulse make this an accessible piece for community choruses and church choirs—Level 2 (Easy).

The Text

Island Home (Awakening)

Peaceful, gentle sunrise,
mountain haloed by light,
crown of sky,
lei of clouds sweeping down
emerald slopes sweetly growing.

Hear the singing! Vibrant singing!
Hear the singing! Vibrant singing!

Feet of sand, many colors,
in jewel blue ocean,
diamond waves harboring Life,
riches most cherished, sustain our spirit.

Precious home, sacred ‘aina:
we, your people
of the land born of fire—
our chorus ringing, on mauna rising:
“Island Home.”

Join the singing! Vibrant singing!
Join the singing! Vibrant singing!
See her rise: Island Home.

—Christopher Lee Fraley (2021)

lei – A necklace of flowers, leaves, or nuts used to show friendship, love, or to celebrate or honor someone.

‘aina – The land, encompassing both its physical and the spiritual aspects.

mauna – Mountain.

About Island Home

In the midst of the start of COVID, Kona Choral Society commissioned me to write a piece in celebration of their 30th year (i.e. their 2020–2021 season). I worked with a small group to review some ideas and to settle on a pre-existing text—some poetry that reflected both a passion for singing and a passion for our Islands (and the Kona area specifically). After months of searching (during which I was supposed to be composing!), we still hadn’t found the perfect text.

In the end, my early morning walks yielded inspiration to write my own. I incorporated imagery I was experiencing every morning, including the birds singing—something we get to join in as a choir! As always, I love to incorporate the poetic imagery directly into the music. I encourage you to listen for and identify the “lei of clouds sweeping down”, “many colors”, “chorus ringing”, etc., as well as the less literal, such as the Island awakening to a new day.

My first choral passion is unaccompanied choral music, and I wanted to offer KCS the flexibility to perform this piece in many different situations. So I started by composing the piece to be performed unaccompanied—just the human voice celebrating singing and the start of a new day in Kona.

Kailua Kona had also become my home, having moved here a year before the commission. And Kona Choral Society (KCS) was my new choral home, so this commission was personal as I was welcomed into this new ‘ohana (family). To show my appreciation and to add to the celebration, I fully orchestrated Island Home since KCS often performs with orchestra. From this orchestration, I then created a piano accompaniment that both accurately reflects the orchestration (so the piano accompaniment can be used in preparation for performing with orchestra) while still remaining pianistic and taking advantage of what the piano has to offer, when no orchestra was desired.

So, in the end, we have three ways we can perform Island Home: (1) a cappella, (2) with piano accompaniment, or (3) with orchestral accompaniment. I look forward to hearing the piece performed in these different incarnations over the coming years!

Thank You

My thanks, in particular, to Stephen Cline for his feedback and encouragement on the poetry—the result is much better because of his help and support.

Presentation to Kona Choral Society

For additional insights into Island Home, you can watch the video of Island Home being presented for the first time to Kona Choral Society in 2021.

Program Notes

Performance Notes

The Text

Island Home (Awakening)

About Island Home

Thank You

Presentation to Kona Choral Society

Premiere Performance

Rehearsal Resources

For Everyone (S1, S2, A1, A2, T, B)

For Soprano I (S1)

For Soprano II (S2)

For Alto I (A1)

For Alto II (A2)

For Tenor (T)

For Bass (B)

Island Home

Perusal Score

Program Notes

Performance Notes

The Text

Island Home (Awakening)

About Island Home

Thank You

Presentation to Kona Choral Society

Premiere Performance

Rehearsal Resources

For Everyone (S1, S2, A1, A2, T, B)

For Soprano I (S1)

For Soprano II (S2)

For Alto I (A1)

For Alto II (A2)

For Tenor (T)

For Bass (B)