Wisconsin native Larry Daehn (b. 1939) is an active composer of band works with a publication company that bears his name (now part of C. L. Barnhouse Company). He wrote With Quiet Courage in 1995 in memory of his mother, Lois Daehn. Maestro and Fox Music, on its page for Thomas Stone’s string orchestra arrangement of this piece, gives the following program note:
Her life was heroic, but without fanfare.
She worked and hoped and inspired.
She loved and was loved.
Her life was a noble song of quiet courage.
Dedicated to the memory of his mother, Larry Daehn describes her as a brave woman who raised her family through the hardships of farm life in Wisconsin. Despite the loss of both legs due to diabetes, she lived with nobility and quiet courage. She loved to sing. These qualities are evident in this composition, which was written in the summer of 1995 following Lois Daehn’s death. It is a song that is passed between the horns, saxophones, a solo trumpet, percussion, and finally to the full ensemble. Building from a quiet pianissimo to the strength of a fortissimo, it concludes with the gentle chords symbolic of the open Wisconsin farmland and a full and rewarding life. With Quiet Courage was premiered by the U.S. Navy Band in our nation’s capital [on September 16,] 1995.
Here it is in live performance by the Montgomery County (PA) Concert Band:
Learn more about the piece at JW Pepper, Barnhouse, and HeBu Musikverlag.