So We Try / Songs of Revelation and Possibility

"So We Try / Songs of Revelation and Possibility" on a blue, orange, and white gradient background

Composed by Peter Buffett, and arranged for chorus by composer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Kiesewalter, So We Try is a collection of 19 short choral works that tell the stories of human pride and hubris getting the best of us and our earthly home, and how we can and why we should find our better selves and a better way by accepting responsibility and letting go of what is familiar. Despite the stark realities of the lyrics, every song is rooted in love. Peter Buffett has a gift that reveals a love and understanding of a pop music tradition that prizes melody.

Peter Kiesewalter is a Grammy Award-nominated musician who has carved a niche in New York City as a flexible composer, producer, arranger, touring/recording musician, and music director, most notably with his genre-defying group the East Village Opera Company (“highbrow and brilliant” — New York Magazine) and his current multi-disciplinary touring show called The Moth Project, a live performance about and inspired by moths which blends art, science, integrated visuals, and family history.

A note to choral conductors and choir members

These SATB scores are medium to advanced levels of difficulty, suitable for university-level ensembles and community choirs. All of them are arrangements of songs from Peter Buffett’s Musical Memes, a collection of “short songs that make a point” and they adhere to his original key, tempo, and structural brevity. Score reading is a plus but not a must. The accompanying demos are great learning tools for singers, as are his original recorded versions.

Rhythmically they will, at times, appear more difficult on the page than they sound given the occasional challenges of transcribing “pop music phrasing,” which is generally more syncopated than traditional and classical choral music. These short pieces are, above all, eminently singable and tuneful—main melodies are equally distributed amongst the four parts.

In regards to musical accompaniment, basic piano parts have been written out but need not be played simply as written. There is room for interpretation and extrapolation. I would encourage playing with voicings, textures, tacet, and even instrumentation. Guitar tablature has been added to the piano parts to enable simple strumming and/or finger-picking accompaniment. There is also room for bass and percussion. Peter’s original versions are, again, a great resource in coming up with parts for additional rhythm section participants. Just please be mindful not to overwhelm the singing.

I hope you have as much fun learning and performing this music as we had arranging and recording it. These melodies and lyrics have been lodged in my musical memory. Moreover, it feels like I’ve participated in a musical project that reflects the tumultuous times we find ourselves in. To quote the composer— “so we try… and we try… and we try…”

Peter Kiesewalter, Arranger