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Composer
Majalisa Dunnewald
Text Cecil Frances Alexander
Voicing SATB, tenor solo, organ
Topic Lent, Love (God's), Salvation
Price $2.25 (U.S.)
Released 2/23
Cat. no. 405-501
Difficulty Mod. easy
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Min. of 5
Description
An easily-rehearsed anthem for Lent.
Anthem text
There is a green hill far away,
without a city wall,
where our dear Lord was crucified,
who died to save us all.
We may not know,
we cannot tell,
what pains he had to bear;
but we believe it was for us
he hung and suffered there.
He died that we might be forgiv'n,
he died to make us good,
that we might go at last to heav'n,
saved by his precious blood.
There was no other good enough
to pay the price of sin;
he only could unlock the gate
of heav'n, and let us in.
O dearly, dearly has he loved,
and we must love him too,
and trust in his redeeming blood,
and try his works to do.
--Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848
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Review
"An original melody in the manner of an English folk song (e.g. FOREST GREEN) imbues this setting with a familiar air reinforced by the traditional format of verses. Sopranos sing the first verse in unison, and then lower voices join for verse two in standard hymn-tune homophony. Subsequent verses follow in a similar vein with third verse melody and descant, fourth verse tenor solo and wordless choral accompaniment, and the final verse returning to four-part homophony in decrescendo to the piano ending." --AAM Journal, July/August 2023
From the composer
When walking home from a Lenten Evensong at Saint Mark’s Church, Philadelphia, I was struck by the beauty of Cecil Frances Alexander’s text. I set out to write a piece that would draw on its simple, elegant turn of phrase, with subtle text painting for each verse. Like Alexander’s poem, this new setting is designed to be tuneful and approachable, meant to be enjoyed by performer and listener alike.
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