Sources: A Unitarian Universalist Cantata (2006)
Words: Kendyl Gibbons (Minneapolis, MN)
Music: Jason Shelton

Sources: A Unitarian Universalist Cantata is a multi-movement choral work which engages our theological diversity through a musical exploration of the six sources of our living tradition. It is a celebration of Unitarian Universalism, a statement about who we are today and where we are headed in terms of our self-understanding as people of faith.

RECORDINGS: video from a June 2011 performance of Sources at First UU Nashville can be found here.

The work is scored for SATB chorus (with limited divisi), piano, strings and percussion. Printed scores and parts are available on-loan from the Church of the Larger Fellowship’s (CLF) Lending Library (http://clf.uua.org) to UU congregations or groups of congregations (i.e. district or cluster groups) for a maximum of two months. These scores are made available without charge because of the extraordinary generosity of a wide rangs of sponsors, to whom we are eternally grateful.

Perusal scores can be downloaded below. If you are interested in performing the work, please drop me a line and let me know.

Full Score (4.78 MB)
Choral Score (1.9 MB)
Sources_performance_notes (31 kb)
Sources Program (template from a previous concert, in MS Word. Feel free to edit as needed)

There has been some interest in having some of the movements being made available as a stand-alone piece. After careful consideration, I have decided to allow the 3rd movement, All Lifted Hearts, to be performed on its own with just the piano accompaniment. Again, this piece is being made available without charge, but please do not borrow the complete score from the CLF if you only want this one piece. You can download and print your own copies of the piece below. And please let me know if you use it – thanks.

all_lifted_hearts_SATBpno (392 kb)

I have the piano score available as a pdf file, but I’m only making that available on-request. Several of the movements (2, 4 and 7) have plenty of opportunity for improvisation, and I have chord charts for those movements which I’m happy to send as well. Again, just let me know what you need and I’ll do whatever I can to make it happen.