And When I Rise

This is a free download of three different arrangements: an a cappella SATB arrangement and two piano/SATB arrangements; one by Peter Amidon (recording above) and one by Peter’s daughter-in-law Zara Bode.  For Peter’s arrangement you get pdfs of the piano/SATB score and the vocal score, mp3 of the recording of the song, four rehearsal mp3s of the soprano, alto, tenor and bass parts, and an mp3 of just the piano track.  Here is a performance by the Amidon/Bode family that combines Peter’s a cappella arrangement with Zara’s piano/vocal arrangement.

You can also sing it as a call and response: “And when I die, And when I die, Let me die, Let me die…“, which is how the Amidons first learned it from Dr. Kathy Bullock, and as Matt Watroba does here. The original song is Wendy Tuck’s 1974 setting of her adaptation of Wendell Berry’s Stanza VIII on page 57, in “Prayers and Sayings of the Mad Farmer” in Wendell Berry’s book, “Farming: A Handbook”, published in 1967. Peter Amidon’s piano/SATB arrangement of Wendy Tuck’s setting of Wendell Berry’s poem was inspired by Plum Village’s arrangement recorded in France in 2016. Here is a Youtube of Peter Amidon’s arrangement that includes the written music.  And here is a lovely solo/piano performance of the Amidon arrangement by Bianca De Maria.

Lyrics below.

And When I Rise
adapted by Wendy Tuck from Wendell Berry

And when I rise, let me rise
Like a bird, joyfully.
And when I fall, let me fall
Like a leaf, gracefully, without regret.