Choral All Through the Night, The Lord’s My Shepherd Mass treble choir, two choirs, with piano | 3 min | Listen Commissioned by Seattle Children’s Chorus for their 20th Anniversary Concert in Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, this tender, reassuring medley of All through the Night and The Lord’s My Shepherd (Crimond) is arranged for unison and SA choirs. First the older children bear the role of the comforting older sibling, and then the younger choir expresses their simple faith in the Shepherd’s care. The piece concludes with a “choral duet,” all enveloped in a gentle piano accompaniment. Sleep, my child, and peace attend thee all through the night. Guardian angels God will send thee all through the night. Soft the drowsy hours are creeping, hill and vale in slumber steeping; I, my loved one, watch am keeping all through the night. The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie in pastures green, he leadeth me the quiet waters by. Goodness and mercy all my life shall surely follow me, and in God’s house forevermore my dwelling place shall be. God is here, I’ll not be lonely all through the night. Guarding, guiding, loving only, all through the night. Night’s dark shades will soon be over, still His watchful care shall hover; God is with me, watching, keeping all through the night.
Choral Psalm 42 Unison w/Congregation with piano; SATB with piano; SSA with piano and Flute (C Instrument) | 3 minutes | Listen The opening phrase of Psalm 42, “Just as the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for You, my God!” has inspired countless musical settings over the centuries. This vivid imagery invites flowing melodies, expressing the anonymous Psalmist’s longing, sorrow, joy, and peace. Because of its watery association, I’ve paired the anonymous American folk tune Shenandoah with my poetic adaptation of the Psalm, carefully painting each strophe. The Unison setting works very well with Congregational singers, as the piano accompaniment strongly supports the melody line in a comfortable range. The piano provides a steady, flowing accompaniment in both the SSA and SATB settings. In the SSA version, I’ve also used the traditional English folk tuneWaly,Waly, and interwoven a Flute [C instrument] part throughout, echoing both theWaly,Waly and Shenandoah melodies. Just as the deer longs for the water, So my soul, it yearns for Thee! I thirst for You, my living water, to satisfy my deepest need, fill my very being. My tears have washed my soul in sorrow, Still I hope in God my Savior! In darkest night His song is with me, A quiet peace flows in my soul, carries all my troubles. I’ll sing God’s praise among His people, With glad shouts sing sweet hosannas! Rememb’ring all His help and comfort, His love so sure and strong, fills my ev’ry longing. [SSA withWaly,Waly tune] Just as the deer for water longs, So yearns my soul to drink of Thee! I thirst for You, O come and fill and satisfy my deepest need.
Vocal Solo Along With My Love I’ll Go with flute and piano | 3 min | Listen While collecting traditional Celtic tunes for an album of flute duets with piano, I described the experience as wandering into a candy store of endless delights– my task being to enrobe each select sweet center in creative chocolate! And when I discovered this winsome Irish melody, it became the title song of the CD Along With My Love I’ll Go . I added words to the melody for tenor Ross Hauck when he recorded the album Where We Long to Be . They reflect my long love of all things nautical, the romance of the sea. The accompanying video features Ross with flutist Maya Lewis. Blow ye winds, westerlies, come hasten; fill the sails, drive us through the sea… to a land far away and olden, to the place where we long to be. Rolling waves may thunder ’round us, fears relentless pound us, yet we shall see, come the night, countless stars in heaven guiding on over the sea.