Her Hands

Instrumentation: Voice and piano

Text: Her Hands by Ted Ewing

Year composed: 2001

Place composed: Redlands, CA

Dedication: To Ted and Bev Ewing

Program Notes: Prior to his wedding, Ted Ewing (AJ’s uncle) wrote a sonnet for his fiancée entitled “Her Hands.” She had always complained about how her hands were wrinkled and worn, and looked like the the hands of an old woman. The poem talked about how she had worked her whole life and how her hands carry her story. When they married in May 2001, AJ decided to set the poem to music and perform it for them as a wedding present. It was performed by the composer and his mother a few days before the wedding; they were both moved and the bride-to-be was in tears.