We All Stand! - SSA Voices and Piano

The text for We All Stand is adapted from Christina Rossetti's "There is no friend like a sister" from Stanza 28 of Goblin Market, published in 1862. In this narrative, a woman named Laura tells her children to stick together, because there is no one like a friend in the stormy times of life. Her words communicate that friends strengthen one another. Though simple, Rossetti's words provide a landscape of imagery of which we all need to be reminded. When life becomes difficult, when we experience pain, and when we falter, may we always remember that we stand connected in one human race. The music should be performed with a sense of strength, energy, and
resolve.
 
We all need one another;
To cheer us on the tedious way, 
To fetch us if we go astray,
To lift us up when we falter, 
We all need one another in the storm;
To strengthen us so we can stand.
We will stand! We all stand!
 
This piece was commissioned in 2022 by the South Dakota Music Educators Association for the 25th anniversary of the SDMEA Elementary Honor Choir. Thank you to the musicians and educators across South Dakota for bringing this piece to life.