I wrote this setting of the Thomas Edison State University alma mater as an unsolicited gift to the school. For several years I had sung at the University’s annual graduation with Princeton Pro Musica, and though I knew none of the graduates, I was moved each time by the institution’s mission: for more than fifty years it has served adult learners across the globe with the flexible, distance programs offered long before they became common. Veterans deployed abroad, working adults, and those who are the first in their families to pursue higher education comprise a significant portion of the student body. When the school was elevated from college to university in 2015, with a new name and an expanded mission, I set its alma mater to fresh music in celebration, and delivered it in 2016.

The words are from the existing alma mater by Gerri Collins and Roy Meriwether, which I adapted only lightly for the occasion: “College” became “University,” and a syllable here and there was smoothed to fit. The music, however, is wholly new, not an arrangement of the tune the choir had sung in years past.

I cast it in D major, maestoso and hymn-like, the tune moving mostly stepwise so that a congregation or community choir can carry it with ease. The opening rises and falls through a simple scale, “Our University, our Alma Mater,” sung first in unison, then answered in harmony. The texture stays hymn-like throughout, the harmonization standard enough to sing at sight but with enough richness to stay interesting. The dynamics trace the text: a forte opening, a softer mezzo-forte at “Age did not matter,” and a crescendo back to forte as we “dare to succeed.” The middle “lifelong dream” section begins quietly, swells to a forte peak on “pay you tribute,” and then falls away to a hushed “and honor.”

At “All hail to thee” the original unison melody returns, and “Edison State” recalls its harmonized answer, but both come back softly this time, holding power in reserve for the close. The phrases repeat, now turning through an unexpected F-sharp-major chord at “State,” a deceptive cadence that brightens just where the ear expects to settle. The final statement of the school’s name builds in a crescendo to a forte on “University,” where I at last release the tenors up into their high range for the one big moment. (Throughout most of the piece, I kept the tessitura deliberately moderate so that the melody never strains a congregation.) The closing “All hail to thee” is a loud rallentando, opening into abundant optional divisi: as in my anthem For the Sake of the Music (Op. 37), I invite each singer to choose a final note, so that the piece ends on a massive, radiant D-major chord.

The audio sample is from the opening of the work. Here is the full text:

© Thomas Edison State University, all rights reserved.

One final note: although I wrote it for a specific occasion, this setting is built to be shared. The music is a modern, singable alma mater in its own right, and I am glad to personalize it for any institution. Customization is available on request for an additional fee. I can set your school’s existing alma mater text to this music, or, if you prefer, you can supply a new text and I will set it to this music. (A third option is a completely new commission; contact me for details.) In any case, if this setting is used, your institution’s name would take the place of “Thomas Edison State University” in the closing acclamation, and your choir would receive a fresh, hymn-like anthem of its own.