Comparing the events of Jesus' final hours to an ever darkening tapestry of green, brown, white and red, Ruth Elaine Schram has written a truly poignant work for Holy Week. Scored for choir and chamber orchestra, it features expressive melodies melded to thought-provoking texts with lovely, supportive accompaniments. These moving songs are interspersed with scripture readings from prophecy and the gospels to present a powerful depiction of our Savior's last days.

Ruthie has written a foreword that presents options for preparing your sanctuary for the service and effectively presenting this work. Also included are suggestions for communion services and for the "Tenebrae" extinguishing of candles (and exiting in darkness and silence) to further enhance the impact of this stirring, yet accessible work.

As with most of Ruthie's instrumentations, when writing the orchestral parts she kept the volunteer musician in mind, scoring it with modest ranges and moderate difficulty levels. The music is beautiful but deceptively simple to play, sounding like more than the sum of its parts. One of Ruthie's goals in her large works is to write music that will encourage instrumentalists in your congregation to become involved in your music ministry -- whether they are young people taking lessons now, participating in school or community bands or orchestras, or adults who may have played or taken lessons years ago and may not have used their abilities for a long time.

If you have any questions about preparing or presenting this musical, don't hesitate to contact her.