This choral dialectic, titled Excellence , is the fourth in a series of six. It’s quite short (less than 13 minutes), acappella, SATB, and structurally unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. What is a choral dialectic ? A choral dialectic is a four-movement choral work (with or without instruments) in which a rational argument about any subject is battled-out musically. There’s only one rule: every choral dialectic must use the following four titles for its four movements: 1. PRINCIPLE Each dialectic begins with a statement of some sort. This will be the subject matter for the entire work. Oftentimes the statement is an ideal - an expression of how something might be in a perfect world. 2. ARGUMENT In this movement, the Principle begins its journey through the meat grinder. The Argument’s job is to pick apart the principle, either supporting it or challenging it. 3. COUNTERARGUMENT In this movement, the Principle gets supported or challenged again, but this time from a contrasting perspective. If the previous argument was sweet, this one will probably be sour. If the previous was about abundance, this one will probably be about scarcity. 4. RESOLUTION Now that the Principle has been analyzed from different angles, some sort of final understanding will have to emerge. Maybe there will be growth, a new way of being, a new way of living in the world, a new Principle . Or maybe not.