Believe it or not, I wrote this piece for a middle school choir. Amon Eady, one of my best friends, built an amazing choral program at White Station Middle School early in his career. He commissioned me to write a lush and mature piece for his group to perform at the TN Music Educator’s Convention, and “cruelly, love” was the result. Limited ranges and stepwise voice leading make this piece sound more difficult than it really is.