Your Hand and Mine--Marques L. A. Garrett

Poem by Spencer Michael Free (1856-1938)

Dr. Mary Hopper--Artistic Director
Kathy Christian--Piano

’Tis the human touch
in this world that counts,
The touch of your hand and mine,
Which means far more
to the fainting heart
Than shelter and bread and wine.
For shelter is gone
when the night is o’er,
And bread lasts only a day.
But the touch of the hand
And the sound of the voice
Sing on in the soul always.

This gentle piece is a setting of the poem entitled “The Human Touch” by Spencer Michael Free, and it truly captures how our connection with others is what matters the most. A Virginia native, Marques L. A. Garrett is Associate Professor of Choral Studies at the University of North Texas. His previous appointments were at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Cheyney University. Additionally, he holds a Ph.D. in Music Education (Choral Conducting) from Florida State University. Dr. Garrett is an avid composer of choral and solo-vocal music whose compositions have been performed to acclaim by high school all-state, collegiate, and professional choirs.

Spencer Michael Free was a poet who graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Johns Hopkins University in 1880. Later, he went on to practice medicine and surgery. He taught natural philosophy, chemistry, Latin and algebra at Ohio Wesleyan University. In addition, Free had a passion for the arts and letters which led to his writing hundreds of medical papers as well as poems. Free wrote “The Human Touch” shortly after World War I.

Your Hand And Mine
Words from "The Human Touch" by Spencer Michael Free
Music by Marques L.A. Garrett
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