Three Great Anthems and Texts

Some of my posts on this blog are for the benefit of other choral musicians using a search engine to find a text, a date for a composer, or something else like that. Here are three texts for great anthems to help other church musicians:

And The Father Will Dance
Words Zephaniah 3:14,17, Psalm 34:2,4; Music by Mark Hayes

And the Father will dance over you in joy!
He will take delight in whom He loves
Is that a choir I hear singing the praises of God?
No, the Lord God Himself is exulting over you in song!
And He will joy over you in song.
And He will joy over you in song (Repeat)

My soul will make its boast in God
for He has answered all my cries
His faithfulness in me is as sure as the dawn of a new day.

Awake, my soul! Awake, my soul! Awake, my soul, and sing!
Let my spirit rejoice. Let my spirit rejoice. Let my spirit rejoice in God!

Sing, O daugther of Zion, with all of your heart!
Cast away fear for you have been restored!
Put on the garment of praise as on a festival day
Join with the Father in glorious, jubilant song!

And He will joy over you in song.
And He will joy over you in song
And the Father will dance over you in joy!
He will take delight in whom He loves
Is that a choir I hear singing the praises of God?
No, the Lord God Himself is exulting over you in song!

God rejoices over you.
God rejoices over you.
God rejoices over you in song!

Who At My Door Is Standing?
Arr. K. Lee Scott

Who at my door is standing, there patiently drawing near,
who entrance is demanding? Whose is the voice I hear?
Sweetly the tones are falling: “Now open the door for me!
If thou wilt heed my calling, I will abide with thee.”
Within, the rooms are darken’d, all filled with dust and sin;
how shameful, how unworthy for Christ to enter in.
Yet, the tones are falling: “Now open the door for me!
If thou wilt heed my calling, I will abide with thee.”
Door of my heart, I hasten! Thee will I open wide.
Though he rebuke and chasten, He shall with me abide.
Sweetly the tones are falling: “Now open the door for me!”
Lord God, I hear thee calling, come now, abide with me. Dear Lord, abide with me!

Jesus, Savior, Blessed Friend
Words and Music by Deborah Govenor

Whom have I, O Lord, beside you?
What have I except your love?
Where is home if not for heaven,
there to dwell with you above?

Who are you, if not my Savior?
Who am I if not your own?
What are you if not my shelter,
Christ, my rock and cornerstone?

Jesus, Savior, blessed friend,
I will love you without end.

Who will share my earthly sorrow?
Who will heal my broken heart?
Who will hold my life together
when it seems to fall apart?>

When the fears are far too many,
and the joys are far too few,
who will comfort and defend me?
Only you, Lord only you.

Jesus, Savior, blessed friend,
I will love you without end.

Where, O Lord, when life is over,
can I go, but home to you?
What have I except the promise
where you are I shall be too?

When at last I reach the comfort
of that bright celestial place,
there with joy will I behold you,
gaze upon your glorious face.

Jesus, Savior, blessed friend,
I will love you without end.

Sunday performance Spring 2007

No church has been scheduled yet, but I'm planning on us singing at a worship service on the Sunday following Easter. It's a good time for us as a choir to sing then and the church musicians don't mind as much since the High Holy Day is over.

So, mark it down: April 15 will be a UAB Choir Sunday.

Choral Works for Lent (church)

I'll post a little work here that I did over on the Choralist list:

My Short request:

1. work for church
2. lasts about 20 minutes and
3. have 6-7 different movements
4. along the lines of two Vivaldi works: Gloria (2004)and Magnificat (2006).

Short answers from the community:

Bach: Passions
Buxtehude: Membra Jesu nostri
Caldara: Stabat Mater
Charpentier: Le reniement de St. Pierre
Dubois: Seven Last Words of Christ
Faure: Faure's Requiem
Gawthrop: Dan Gawthrop's "Behold What Mystery"
Gretchaninoff: Alexander Gretchaninoff's "Passion Week", opus 58
Handel: Passions
Haydn: Seven Last Words of Christ
Hopson: 'Tenebrae - A Service of Darkness' by Hal Hopson
Martin: "Song of the Shadows" by Joseph Martin
Mignemi: "MYSTERIUM INCARNATIONIS" Giuseppe Mignemi
(You can free download http://www.giuseppemignemi.it/index_english.htm or direct http://www.giuseppemignemi.it/MYSTERIUM%20INCARNATIONIS.htm)
Mozart: Requiem
Rutter: Requiem
Schutz: Seven Last Words H. Schutz
Smith, Lani: A Service of Shadows Lani Smith
Stainer: "The Crucifixion" (John Stainer)

Full Original Question:

The big Christmas service is complete for this season. Our biggest
successes over the years have come with two Vivaldi works: Gloria (2004)
and Magnificat (2006).

I'd like to do something along those lines during Lent and I'm looking for
suggestions.

My ideal work for church lasts about 20 minutes and have 6-7 different
movements. Three or four would be accessible works for the choir and the
other 3-4 go to solos, duets, trios, etc.

I've already consulted the ChoralNet archives and I'm interested to see what
other recommendations there are out there. I'd be glad to do a compilation.

Previous suggestionsfrom
this list include:

"The Crucifixion" (John Stainer)
'Tenebrae - A Service of Darkness' by Hal Hopson
Dan Gawthrop's "Behold What Mystery"
various passions by Bach, Handel
Alexander Gretchaninoff's "Passion Week", opus 58
"Song of the Shadows" by Joseph Martin
Seven Last Words H. Schutz
A Service of Shadows Lani Smith
A Service of Darkness Lani Smith
Faure's Requiem
Stainer's Crucifixion
Rutter's Requiem
Mozart's Requiem
Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ

Thanks to all who contribute.

Full answers from the community:

I have composed a suite of 5 pieces to chapel "MYSTERIUM INCARNATIONIS"
You can free download
http://www.giuseppemignemi.it/index_english.htm
or direct
http://www.giuseppemignemi.it/MYSTERIUM%20INCARNATIONIS.htm
Merry Christmas
Giuseppe Mignemi
Via G. Grasso, 20
95013 Fiumefreddo Sic. (CT) - Italy
www.giuseppemignemi.it

Scott Gillam to me
show details Dec 21 (18 hours ago)
Dear Philip,

How about Haydn's Seven Last Words of Christ? This is probably an easier
setting to learn than the Schuetz setting of the same text, although I'm
personally not familiar with either work. We rent up to 42 copies of the
Haydn (G. Schirmer edition) (a) $1.50 per copy plus postage.

Another outstanding possibility is Charpentier's Le reniement de St. Pierre,
a haunting 11-minute work with solos and keyboard and basso continuo
accompaniment. We rent up to 76 copies of this piece (Presser edition) (a) 75
cents per copy plus postage.

We also rent both the Vivaldi Gloria and Magnificat that you mention in your
email.

Check out our on-line catalogue, which has added over 60 selections in
recent months, for more possibilities.

If you wish, I can put your name on our list to receive once-yearly advance
notices when the catalogue is revised.

Best wishes for the holidays,

Scott Gillam
NAS Choral Music Rental Library
www.nasingers.org

MLycanclef(a)aol.com to me
show details Dec 20 (2 days ago)
Buxtehude, Membra Jesu nostri

Best wishes,

Mary Lycan
mlycanclef(a)aol.com

Hi:
Instead of some 'work' - - put together a work (as long as you are not using orchestra - - which would be then a nightmare!)

Do a movement that fits your group from different masses or works.

For instance:

Kyrie: chant
Gloria: Schubert
Credo: Haydn
Sanctus: Faure
Agnus Dei: Robert Ray (Gospel - slow)
Benedictus: (some Renaissance composer)

you could throw in:
Dies Irae: Mozart
Lacrimosa: Mozart
Dona Nobis Pacem: Bach b Minor

etc. etc.

This way, you could pick and choose those that are accessible to your choir and they'd have the benefit of learning the music and styles of different composers/eras.

Peace.
Happy Holidays.
Richard Garrin
www.richardgarrin.com

Just a brief comment. Requiem settings are to remember the deceased, especially in the Fall, beginning with All Souls Day on Nov. 2. I would suggest not doing them during Lent...
the theology just doesn't fit.