On the Sea

Ho, Owen

About the work

A vocal piece in 6 parts for a cappella choir, On the Sea takes inspiration from the poem by John Keats.  The music begins with a mysteriously ongoing play of the sibilant such as “whisperings”, “swell” and “spell” then moves on to mimic the unrelenting swell of ocean waves. While the Sea may be wild, it also behaves oppositely – thus the following section wherein each singer recites the text at their own pace, only to be, in turn, averaged out into complete tranquility.  This tranquil moment is later countered head-on by an outcry of the uproars and chaos in life; yet, as the music will show, the primeval healing quality of the Sea shall always pacify human souls regardless of time – and so the Sea keeps on whispering…..