Prayer of St. Francis

Prayer of St. Francis was composed for Maestro Tartaglione and the Catholic University of America Chamber Orchestra in memory of Thomas Kanzelberger, a student who passed away in June 2024. With solemn, somber material that seems increasingly despairing, the first section of the work explores the idea that praying for personal peace in the face of tragedy can feel hopeless. In the second section, however, the mood becomes brighter as an insistent trumpet call heralds a soaring, majestic "Gloria" theme; while dark emotions do briefly return, the "Gloria" theme ultimately triumphs. The opening material closes the work, but this time "personal peace" is no longer resignation in the face of tragedy but quiet, serene confidence in God's will and plan for salvation. As the Prayer of St. Francis asks of us, where there is despair, let us sow hope; where there is darkness, light.