Theme and Variations on "Draw the Sacred Circle Closer"

Originally composed for solo cello, this work has been adapted by the composer in response to requests from violists. The melodic theme comes from the final chorus of Hailstork’s Earthrise, a profoundly bold cantata using Schiller’s “Ode to Joy” as text, and full of allusions to all four movements of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Hailstork’s Earthrise features a festival chorus singing in German, alternating with an African American chorus singing in English with vernacular verve. The two choirs ultimately unite to end the cantata together with “Draw the Sacred Circle Closer,” a translation of lines from Schiller’s “Ode to Joy.”