I'm Bound To Leave This Place

"I'm Bound To Leave This Place" is an exquisitely beautiful and poetic piece that speaks of a sojourner's quest to know and be known by another before leaving the confines of this life. Deep enough for you?!

This is a 3-part arrangement (SSA), but could easily be done as a unison piece if you so choose. In fact, we have created a unison version and included it on the P/A recording for this issue (track 33). That way you have options.

Part 1 covers the melody with parts 2 and 3 adding harmonies and echoes. Part 1 sings alone through the first ending. The fun begins the second time at measure 5 when both parts 2 and 3 join in. To assist in learning parts 2 and 3, we have isolated them and put them on our web site for free downloading. (See details on page 62.)

You may have enough to handle without focusing on dynamics, so they're not all written in the score. If you have enough time to give to the song, however, you may want to listen to how the orchestra rises and falls and follow their lead. If you crescendo/decrescendo with each phrase, it will work out fine. In measures 22 to 24, "would your soul touch mine?" is the most tender line in the song. It also has the coolest harmony, so give particular attention to that section.

Don't let the mixed meters scare you off. It sings quite naturally and our kids sang it correctly the first time. The only bar to watch for is at measure 15. A couple of times during the recording, our singers started the pick-ups into bar 5 a beat early, so just hold them off and they'll take right to it.