In I Wish, Dangerfield turns his focus toward themes of hope, resilience, and quiet encouragement. Composed in 2024 and scored for SATB chorus and organ, this concise three-minute piece offers an uplifting, meditative counterweight to the darker emotional depths found in his other choral elegies.
The work sets the widely celebrated text “This Is My Wish for You,” which is traditionally attributed to the American Transcendentalist philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson’s text reads like a secular blessing, offering a litany of simple yet profound human desires: comfort on difficult days, rainbows to follow clouds, and the courage to accept the truth. Instead of building toward an imposing or complex theological monument, the text celebrates ordinary, grounded human experiences—such as laughter, friendship, and the comforting warmth of a sunset.
Dangerfield’s musical language beautifully maps out this emotional architecture. Rather than relying on traditional hymn-like simplicity, he weaves rich, modern choral harmonies that shift fluidly to reflect the imagery of the poem. The organ accompaniment plays a critical role, providing a supportive harmonic landscape that allows the vocal lines to expand and breathe. The music acts as a gradual dawn, moving through moments of reflective vulnerability before swelling into a radiant, resonant affirmation of love and life.
