A chant in honour of all missing people(s), particularly indigenous Australians.

This grew from an improvisation with a student, where we were playing all the chords we could think of which contain the note C. I then used the idea to build this piece.Teachers may like to mimic this procedure, before using the piece.

The lyrics are a repetitive chant (abbreviated below) for soprano, alto, tenor and two bass parts. Between each declamation of "where are they now?", another tribal name is spoken by a narrator or narrators.

A didgeridoo or tube in C may accompany the piece.

I couldn't use ALL the tribal names (see score), so I decided to begin in my local area, Bundjalung, circle around it slightly, then proceed down the coast to Tasmania. The map used is from the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. It is titled "Aboriginal Australia" compiled by David Horton, and I found it in my local University Bookshop. Feel free to change the narrator's part to other tribes or even other countries if you wish.

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Lyrics:

Where are they now? (x15)
Where are they?
Where are they now?
Where can they be?

Where have they gone?
Where are they?
Where? Where?

Where are they now? Where've they gone?
Where are they now? Where'd they go?
Where? Where?
Where? Where?
Where are they now?
Where are they . . .?