The Going

The Going

Duration: 07:26

Instrumentation: Choral (SATB), Piano, Percussion

Technical Specifications: .wav 48kHz stereo audio

Performer: The Elmer Isler Singers, Conductor: Lydia Adams

Year: 2025

I came across the poem 'The Going' by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson when looking through some old wartime poetry around Remembrance Day a decade ago. Wilfrid's poetry often focuses on the everyday, the commonplace activities of the working class — the sorts of things no one usually pays attention to, and this poem instantly became one of my favourites.

Written in 1915 around the time Wilfrid served as a private in World War I, the poem speaks of the simple and fleeting beauty found in 'a goodbye', and how overwhelming and bittersweet that moment can be. Percussion is optional, although highly recommended to create the atmosphere required of the composition.

He's gone.
I do not understand.
I only know
That as he turned to go
And waved his hand,
In his young eyes a sudden glory shone,
And I was dazzled with a sunset glow,
And he was gone.