Stephen Barr

Sacrifice

Whether it be to change the course of events, bestow fortune and luck, avoid natural disaster, or offer salvation, the sacrificial offering of food, objects, or lives in order to appease a higher power has been documented in numerous cultures and religions throughout the known history of humankind, and still practiced to this day. This musical Sacrifice is, in short, an aural depiction of such a ritual. The music does not intend to represent any one kind or specific form of sacrifice; rather, it portrays the nature of the performance itself-the emotions that might be expressed or felt through participating in the ritual. This music seeks to evoke only the spirit and character of the sacrifice; thus, the exact circumstances that might be depicted are left to the imagination of the listener. However, what the music is intended to be, at various turns, is evocative, beguiling, supplicating, zealous, frenetic, exhilarating, and-yes-loud! Sacrifice was composed for and is dedicated to Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich and the Slippery Rock University Flute Choir.