REVIEWS by James S. Cole Te following octavos are published by GIA Publications.
Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service. Kevin Vogt. Text by Albert F. Bayly. SATB choir and organ with optional assembly. G-9243, $2.15.
If you’re like me, you plan all your congregational music for a season and then program your choral music for that season. Once you see what you’ve planned for the congregation, it may point you to certain choral pieces. So if I have the hymn Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service programed for a particular Sunday, and have a good, original choral composition that uses that hymn text, there’s a good chance I’ll use it. Here we have just that. Kevin Vogt has created an original musical setting for this text, which he has named ST. VINCENT. It begins with an extended organ introduction, manuals only until verse one, which is SA unison. Ten a fittingly haunting verse two (“Still the children wander homeless . . .”) SSATB a cappella on a C pedal point in the bass part, with imitation in the upper voices singing in fourths and fifths. Ten an extended organ interlude, with some nimble eighth-note passages. Te third verse enters with the melody in the ATB and a soprano descant. After a short interlude, all voices sing the final verse in unison. Rather long at ~5’30”, but worth doing if you have the time.
Te Carol of the Stork.Michael Joncas. Text from the prayer book of King Edward VI (1537-1553). SATB choir and (optional) solo voices. G-9725, $2.15.
Michael Joncas has crafted a shimmering new a cappella setting of a 16th century carol, with six fairly short verses. Te text uses Middle English
CHORAL
words and phrases such as “sayde unto her broode,” “dole of mette,” “in a manugier stalle,” “so rudely layde.” But don’t let these put you off. Te meaning of the text will come through. Unison lines give way to lovely harmonies. In A minor throughout with a Picardy third.
Maria Walks Amid the Torn. Daniel Burton. SATB choir and organ or piano. G-9650, $2.00.
Here’s an old German carol (Maria durch ein Dornwald ging) you’ve probably never come across in a new setting by Daniel Burton. At a walking tempo (half note = 60), the gently pulsing pedal part in the organ seems to propel the text forward, imitative of Mary and Joseph walking on their journey. With images of roses amid the thorns (yes, it’s the roses that appear at the end amid the thorns: “And as the two are passing near, Kyrie eleison, Lo! Roses on the thorns appear. Jesus and Maria.”), it has easy-to-learn harmonies.
It Started with an Idle Tale. Text by Mary Louise Bringle, music by Sally Ann Morris. SATB choir, assembly and piano, with organ, guitar, brass quartet, castanets and timpani. G-9572, $2.35.
Bringle’s hymn was the winner of the Hymn Society’s search for new texts for the third millennium in 2000. Morris’ music gives it a spirited tune, using several moments in Church and world history as starting points for our faith (Pentecost, Easter) and other moments for its development (the deaths of martyrs; service to the hungry, poor and mourning). One-part, two-part, then four-part writing supports the spreading of the message and growth of the Church ending with unified voices calling for continued work in fulfilling Christ’s mission.
Glory to God. James Chepponis. Based on the setting for the Nicene Creed from Jubilation Mass. Cantor or choir, assembly, keyboard and guitar. G-9682, $1.80.
A simple and plaintive chant-like tone setting of the Gloria that may be sung either in unison or SATB (a cappella or with light accompaniment). With refrain or sung-through.
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