Y Dice el Pastorcico is a musical setting of two stanzas from St. John of the Cross' poem called Stanzas Applied Spiritually to Christ and the Soul.  The text is about a young shepherd whose heart is broken by an emotionally unreciprocating shepherd girl.  He is filled with bitter grief and, heart-wounded, he hangs himself from a tree.  This is a poignant image; recognize that St. John of the Cross is not intending to depict a hopeless suicide, but rather a salvific crucifixion. 

In my piece, I emphasize how Christ's Heart languishes for souls that turn away from Him, denying the free and perfect love He desires to give.  The piece is a choral setting for three-part choir and organ.  Initially, it was written as part of a commission for the UST Liturgical Choir as an anthem to be sung at Mass for the Feast of Christ the King in 2020. I thought it was fitting; the lectionary had prominent shepherd imagery in all of the readings for that day.  However, in respect of the feast itself, I believe this piece is a better fit for the feast of the Sacred Heart.

Special thanks to my gracious and talented sister, Anna Marie Gomes, for having taken up the video production on this project, filming and editing, making a great video for what was very little footage.

Thank you!

... to the University of St. Thomas for permitting us to rehearse in the Iverson Center for Faith and record in the Chapel of St. Thomas and in Baumgaertner Auditorium. 

... to the faculty of the Basilica of Saint Mary for permitting us to record in the Basilica.

... to Paul Schulz for permitting us to record at his home during a pandemic.

... to Irene Domingo for teaching pronunciation for Y Dice el Pastorcico.

... to Dr. Sherstan Johnson and Jaclyn Schwartz for answering countless emails and fulfilling endless requests.

... to Joseph Ortiz for being an incredible and gracious director and editor for my 2021 Composition Recital.  Your contribution has been crucial to the completion of this project.  God bless you all your days and then some!