The Patience of Ordinary Things

SATB with Divisi
by  Mark Growden

Music by Mark Growden
Text by Pat Schneider

THE PATIENCE OF ORDINARY THINGS
by Pat Schneider
It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes. How soles of feet know
Where they’re supposed to be.
I’ve been thinking about the patience
Of ordinary things, how clothes
Wait respectfully in closets
And soap dries quietly in the dish,
And towels drink the wet
From the skin of the back.
And the lovely repetition of stairs.
And what is more generous than a window?

SKU: MGN-005 Categories: ,
Voicing: SATB
Instrumentation: A Cappella
Language: English
Sacred or Secular: Secular
Duration: 1-5 Minutes

$2.00

This title is available in print or for immediate download. For both options, there is a minimum required quantity of 8 copies for choral titles. Please support self-publishing composers by ordering the quantity according to the number of singers in the ensemble that will perform the work.

Print orders are printed on demand and shipped by our printing partner, and can be expected to be processed within a few days of the order. Please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] to follow up.

Quantity

Explore More Music…

Filters Sort results
Reset Apply
Title
View
Voicing
Duration
Language
Composer
for mixed choir a cappella
MDC-019
SATB
–
English
This haunting melody, is one of the most beautiful songs that the slaves composed; bone-weary and sorrow-filled… with their eyes firmly fixed on a Great Deliverer somewhere up in heaven. The itinerant preachers that visited the plantations, selected specific passages from the Bible- guaranteeing them entrance to the Promised Land- if they worked hard for […]
for mixed choir, SATB with some divisions
GTT-024
SATB
3'
English
This new setting of the Christmas/Epiphany words, “As with gladness, men of old did the guiding star behold” seeks to emphasize the joyful nature of the visit of the Magi to the Christ child. Set in a lively 7/8 time, it is mainly in four parts (SATB), although the 3rd verse, “As they offered gifts most rare” […]
13 performance rounds for young partnered voices
BKR-003
Equal Voices
⋅
SSAA
Each round 1′30″ to 2′ (in performance)
English
The round is the first tool of any music teacher wishing to develop in children an ability to listen to others while holding an independent line. Rounds also build cohesion among singers, providing opportunities to improve ensemble, sight-reading, articulation and breathing. Here are thirteen original rounds of varying difficulty for Youth Choir: while intended for […]
for SATB choir and piano
LJP-CC102
SATB
3'30"
English
A beautiful re-imagination of this classic Irish Hymn, setting in a lilting 4/4 time with contemporary harmony – A joy for all choirs to sing!
for mixed chorus a cappella
PHD-003
SATB
2'40"
English
⋅
Yiddish
This beloved lullaby is presented with an evocative piano accompaniment and vocal solo, bringing out a melancholy beauty that will entrance your audience. 
SATB Chorus, Piano, and B♭ Trumpet
MGN-009
SATB
3'14"
English
A lively and playful piece featuring SATB chorus, B♭trumpet and piano.
for SSAATTBB choir a cappella
SWM-023
SSAATTBB
5'45"
English
⋅
Persian
“Song of Becoming” (2025) traces an arc through the four classical elements—Air, Earth, Fire, and Water—as symbols of transformation. Mostly sung in English, the score weaves in short phrases of original Persian as mantra-like refrains. Air opens in longing and awakening; Earth turns toward humility and groundedness; Fire burns with passion and surrender; Water dissolves, […]
for SSAA Chorus and Body Percussion
MGN-013
SSAA
3'45"
English
This piece was written while walking through the Mission District of San Francisco on a rainy evening. California has been experiencing a serious drought these past few years. I was thrilled to feel the raindrops, hence the celebratory feeling of the piece. — Mark Growden Also available in SATB and TTBB versions.
for SATB choir and piano
RCL-027
SATB
4'30"
English
Composed to celebrate the centennial of Women’s Suffrage in America and to raise awareness of the continued struggle for civil rights, “These Walls Must Fall” is a vibrant, uptempo work championing social justice. The text includes quotes spoken by Suffragette leaders, lyrics used in rally songs over a hundred years ago and chants heard in […]
Tenor solo, men's chorus, and piano
BLS-010
TB
approx. 2'
English
⋅
Hebrew
They Shall Not Hurt, a short Jewish hymn with a flowing melody, expresses clear-eyed but heart-felt devotion. Sung in Hebrew and English and relatively easy to perform, it is an ideal work for Friday night Sabbath service or concert setting. Arthur Lazarus (1925-1993) was music director for Temple Beth Sholom in New City, New York, […]
Shopping Cart