Hymns We All Knew, choral music

Hymns We All Knew
SATB chorus and piano

Hymns We All Knew (16 minutes) is a suite of four settings of hymns commonly sung in the churches where I grew up in East Tennessee. These settings express a range of emotions from quiet introspection to unbridled jubilation. The first and last employ piano, the middle two are a cappella.

1. Softly and Tenderly (5 minutes). accompanied. A quiet setting expressing the longing of the Saviour for us to "come home." Beginning with unison men over a simple Copland-esque accompaniment, it contains both the traditional harmonization familiar to audiences, as well as some brief, striking sojourns to remote tonalites used to underscore texts such as "though we have sinned He has mercy and pardon."
click to listen to more    ask a question

2. There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood (4 minutes). a capella. A medley of the title hymn along with "Are You Washed?" and "Nothing But The Blood." It begins slowly and softly with a cappella unison women singing the opening phrase "There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins." The tempo picks up into a camp-meeting style for the other two hymns.
click to listen to more    ask a question

3. When I Survey The Woundrous Cross (2 minutes). a capella. Austere and stately. The first verse is set with the traditional harmonization, the second verse is dramatically re-harmonized to paint the text "See from His head, His hands, His side."
click to listen to more    ask a question

4. Amazing Gospel Grace (5 minutes). accompanied. An energetic, up tempo, Gospel style. A tour de force of lines from other hymns -- not a medley -- but an interleaving of lyrics, such as the example below.
click to listen to more    ask a question

        Amazing grace
            How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
        That saved a wretch like me
            Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
        I once was lost
            Love lifted me and now I am found
        Amazing grace
            How sweet the name of Jesus sounds.

Performance history