D a v i d   V e s s

'Shatter into Flame' is a meditation on a poem by the Reverend Billy Stewart, from his book 'Can I Leave These with You?' The poem traces the yearning of the soul through the passage of time. It begins in summer and traverses through fall, finally arriving in winter, a journey that mirrors the liturgical and seasonal arc toward Advent and Christmas. Throughout the poem, a refrain returns to the words “my soul,” always shifting in posture: my soul does long for meaning – my soul awaits – my soul lingers – my soul yearns. I take the idea of the soul and musically present it as a motif that morphs and grows throughout the work, returning in new forms as the seasons change. For me, this yearning of the soul, this restlessness for purpose, is most heavily felt in the winter months. Winter strips away abundance and distraction, leaving stillness, cold, and waiting. In that landscape, longing becomes sharper, perhaps more honest. I hear a connection in the lines “before the impact of the first snowflake” and “the striking of a match when it shatters into flame.” There is a tension there, between fragility and ignition, silence and light. Stewart’s words feel like a small candle held and lit in the depths of winter, a quiet but defiant flame against darkness. That image inevitably connects, in my mind, to the Christmas season: the Advent posture of waiting, the anticipation of light entering darkness, and the humble glow of candles and Christmas lights piercing the cold. The work leans into that symbolism, light as presence, flame as transformation, and the soul as something that, even in winter, refuses to remain unlit until it finally Shatters into Flame. Commissioned by Dr. Nancy Menk and the South Bend Chamber Singers