The Easter message is about life in all its dimensions for every person and for every living thing. There is a blessing from Hebrews 13 which encourages us in this time:
The God of peace–who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant–make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen
This is a time to strive, to work for the value of every human life and for a renewal of society and the environment that is consonant with God’s character and will. I have set this cherished blessing for SATB or SATB/SSA and organ, but listen to an orchestration of The God of Peace by my former student, Michael Costello, Cantor and Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, IL. May it inspire you to be a courageous proponent of God’s life!
The Hill of Crosses reveals Lithuania’s resistance to Soviet control.
The devastating effects of natural disasters, war, and tumultuous change call for music of consolation, hope, and encouragement. The following pieces are appropriate. I invite you to download one or more scores for your personal review. Please contact me if you wish to perform one of them with your ensemble.
My hymn, Hill of Crosses, was written after a choir tour to Lithuania in 2007. It compares a hill of resistance and suffering in Lithuania to Golgatha and to hills of despair in our lives. Listen to the 2008 Lenoir-Rhyne University A Cappella Choir perform an expanded version of this hymn during a chapel service at St. Olaf College.
The Lord’s Prayer (2006) may be sung in Unison or in an SATB choral version available from me.
So We Do Not Lose Heart (2008) is an SATB anthem based on 2 Corinthians that juxtaposes affliction and destruction with confidence in God’s promise. Originally composed for organ alone, an oboe may render the solo line as indicated in the score. This performance by choir and organ was recorded on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 by the Lenoir-Rhyne University A Cappella Choir, Hickory, NC.
Agnus Dei (1978) for high and low voices combines two melodies in a plaintive setting. For an earlier twelve-tone setting of this text, listen to my Agnus Dei (1971) and view the score in my a cappella works.
Just as I Am (2007) is set in its original key and harmonization with two original descanting soprano parts. This beloved hymn, with a slight editorial change for soldiers, was found in the hymnals of both the Northern and Southern armies during the Civil War. You may hear a recording performed by the Lenoir-Rhyne A Cappella Choir in 2007 at the Riga Dom in Latvia with its eleven second reverberation in the ANTHEMS category of this website.
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God is an expanded setting that depicts the battle between good and evil, God and the Evil Foe, the baptized and diabolical tests of every kind. All or part of my setting available from MorningStar Music is appropriate for this time of desolation, violence, and conflict.
View from Mar-Lu-Ridge Summer Camp, Jefferson, Maryland
Our Father, based on a haunting Slovak chant of the Lord’s Prayer, memorializes all who have died from violence and tragedy, and includes a word of Jesus from the cross. As we pray for healing, there is no better place to begin than with this prayer. The performance is by Yale vocal artists.
The Beatitudes always bring comfort, reminding us that even in the darkest of times, we are blessed. The SATB anthem Blessed is available from MorningStar Music as well as in an a cappella version for SSAA, and an edition for unison treble voices with strings.
When You Pass through the Waters depicts one of my favorite biblical passages of comfort from Isaiah 43. It was composed in memory of a kind and caring music professor of mine. There are versions for unison, two-part, and SATB ensembles at MorningStar Music.
Paul D. Weber 