Category: Choral Music
Instrumentation: SATB chorus, harp, and piano
Duration: 5 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Publisher: Alymar Publications
Text / Source: Poem by Lieutenant Ewart Alan Mackintosh, written in 1916 in memory of Private David Sutherland and other members of his troop killed in battle

In Memoriam is a moving choral work for SATB chorus, harp, and piano, setting Lieutenant Ewart Alan Mackintosh’s 1916 poem written in memory of Private David Sutherland and fellow soldiers killed in battle. The historical context gives the piece a poignant emotional weight: Mackintosh himself was killed in battle six months after writing the poem.

The melodic language is modal and folk-like, lending the work a direct, elegiac simplicity. Cast in an ABABA form, the piece balances clarity of structure with expressive restraint, allowing the text’s remembrance and sorrow to speak with quiet dignity.

With its medium difficulty level and five-minute duration, In Memoriam is suitable for choral concerts, memorial programs, Veterans Day or Remembrance observances, and programs exploring poetry of war and loss. The harp and piano provide a distinctive instrumental color that supports the modal, folk-inflected character of the vocal writing.