Day 8 of 50: Today, I am moved by Deborah Cheetham, Yorta Yorta composer, and her “Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace” for choir and chamber ensemble.
Listening to “Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace,” I hear cries of and for justice. I hear tendrils of grief that amass to heaves of mourning, yearning to pass through the veil… to be at peace at last. The Eumeralla Wars were “the most brutal resistance wars fought in [Australia]” (© Deborah Cheetham) between the Gunditjmara people and European colonizers, lasting for approximately 20 years. Countless indigenous lives were destroyed, massacred… left to haunt the land, cradling their memories. “May their spirits find eternal rest… and let perpetual light shine upon them” (© Deborah Cheetham, from the text of “Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace).
Learn more about Deborah Cheetham
Listen to “Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace”
Read Cheetham’s Program Notes to understand the significance of this piece.
“Deborah Cheetham” (2020), Oil on fiberboard, 6 x 6