The Epitaph: Choral Instrumental Pak
Arranged by Joseph Martin
Item: 35-PK00261863
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Description
Uses: Funeral, Memorial, Patriotic, Concert Scripture: Matthew 5:4; I Thessalonians 4:14-17; Romans 14:7-9 The celebrated text, "Do not stand at my grave and weep" is emotionally arranged into a concert work of grief and tears, hope and joy. A lonely and longing violin melds with a rich and moving piano accompaniment. The piece begins quietly, builds with intensity, and sings s into silence with the text, "I am not there. I did not die." Presented for the first time with full orchestra.
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK00261863
More about this title
About the Arranger: Joseph Martin
Joseph Martin stands among the most performed composers in American choral music, with a catalog spanning sacred works, secular concert pieces, and musical theater. His arrangements are prized for their sensitivity to text and their ability to transform familiar material into fresh, emotionally resonant scores. Martin's craft lies in honoring the emotional core of a piece while expanding its sonic possibilities through intelligent orchestration.
Why we love this
Martin resists the urge to over-arrange; instead, he lets the violin's vulnerability and the piano's harmonic language do the emotional work. The piece earns its quiet ending not through bombast or false comfort, but through a return to simplicity. Singers and instrumentalists alike will feel the weight and purpose of every note.
What to expect
The piece occupies a space between lamentation and resolution, never rushing toward comfort. A single violin carries longing through a landscape shaped by warm, supporting harmonies in the piano. By the time the text arrives at affirmation, the ear has traveled far enough that the message lands with earned sincerity rather than sentiment.
Who it's for
This work serves choirs seeking a substantial piece for services of remembrance, memorial concerts, or worship contexts that honor grief alongside faith. It also belongs in secular concert programs where emotional authenticity matters more than musical spectacle. Singers of intermediate to advanced ability will respond to the emotional demands and musical sophistication.
How to get the most out of it
- Attend closely to the violin part in early rehearsals. This instrument carries the emotional narrative; the choir and piano should support rather than compete with it.
- Shape the dynamic trajectory with intention. The arc from quiet opening to intensity to final silence requires discipline and consensus about where the peak truly lives.
- Balance the text clarity against the emotional atmosphere. Diction should remain present even as the work asks for vulnerability and introspection.
- Explore the piano accompaniment's harmonic movement with your accompanist. The richness Martin provides can easily blur into muddiness without clarity of voice leading.
How to use it
Position this as the centerpiece of a memorial service or the emotional anchor of a concert exploring themes of loss and hope. It works equally well as a standalone offering or as part of a larger liturgical context where Matthew and Romans texts deepen the surrounding worship experience. The orchestral arrangement lifts what might otherwise feel chamber-like into a full concert statement.
Skills your students will build
- Singing with sustained emotional vulnerability without wavering intonation
- Balancing choral sound against solo instrumental lines
- Interpreting text that moves between grief and affirmation
- Responding to dynamic architecture that spans multiple minutes
- Coordinating ensemble releases and cutoffs with precision