āLibera Meā was composed for Munster High School and Luke McGinnis, conductor, for performance in May 2025 at their final department-wide concert for the school year. Based on the traditional Catholic responsory, the Latin text is a plea to God for mercy at the time of the Last Judgement. I wanted to explore the text's themes of relationship with death over time. In particular, I divide the piece into four major sections: first, bargaining with death; then denial, alongside the anger that often accompanies it; followed by the melancholy fear of the inevitable; and finally, a bittersweet yet grateful acceptance.
- Benjamin Coble
