Rob's Requiem

First published at 11:06 UTC on February 12th, 2022.

This is one of my 1997 pieces. It was written after a friend had wound up in a tragic fight where he had gotten stabbed by a knife and died. Recent events led me to revisit this song and remaster it.

The original song was arranged with piano and dr…

This is one of my 1997 pieces. It was written after a friend had wound up in a tragic fight where he had gotten stabbed by a knife and died. Recent events led me to revisit this song and remaster it.

The original song was arranged with piano and drums. This one I gave the haunting melody to the flute, keeping it in its lower register, which sounds more somber. I especially like using the Cambridge concert flute soundfont. While I have newer VSTs, this particular virtual instrument has about the best expression I've heard in flute synths. For bass, I went with an acoustic style synth that is common in most, if not all GM soundfonts. Percussion is a mix of Sonatina Orchestra VST and Cakewalk's SI-Drum Kit VST set to the Hall Kit.

This song, titled Rob's Requiem, and initially Requiem for Rob is sung by his girlfriend Rachel. It could have also been known as Sunday Morning, due to intro melody. To tell you the truth, I still tear up when I listen to the song and go through the lyrics with the melody. I mean, she's at her most vulnerable point in her life thus far, and her boyfriend that was planning her life with can no longer be her forever lover, outside of soulmates in heaven, anyways. So a lot of these feelings come out in the lyrics, and can be heard in the melody even withot the lyrics. By now, you are probably wanting me to finally share the lyrics, so, here they are:

Alone, on a Sunday morning
I find myself mourning
the death of my childhood lover
the death of my man.

And alone, on this Sunday morning
I look in his coffin
to see the pale face of a man
who was once as strong as an ox
with ambition beyond that of most
within this town.

In the light of an hour
just past that flash of an eye
that was his life,
you will see an army of friends and associates
cry as the man in black sings
a pow'ring rendition of
Amazing Grace.

And I stand along, on a Sunday morning
where I find myself mourning
the death of my love.

And as I stand here alone
I wonder, just on a curious note,
Is he looking down upon me with his sad puppy dog eyes
as I cry, deep in my heart,
for the loss of his love.

For even our bad times
when our relations ran sour
could not keep my heart
hiding for long.

Lord, please forgive him,
as I forgive him.

For even as I stand here alone,
on a Sunday morning,
mourning the death of this man,
I love him so.

Check out more of my compositions at BandCamp: https://jcrawf79.bandcamp.com/music

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