The Altar

find_in_pagePreview
Composer
Roland E. Martin
Difficulty
Moderately Difficult radio_button_checked radio_button_checked radio_button_checked radio_button_checked radio_button_unchecked
Season
Communion Lent Palm/Passion Sunday General
Voicing(s)
SATB
Instruments
Keyboard [organ/piano]
Category
Anthems
Collections
So, You Have a Cathedral Choir!
Instrumental Only?
No
Description

SATB (with divisi) and organ. A stirring, beautiful setting of the poem by George Herbert with flavors of Mahler. Just breathtaking! We do have orchestral score/parts as well. Look in the EXTRAS (ZIP) file.

Audio
Extras (Zip)
archive Download ZIP
Lyrics

A broken altar thy servant rears,
Made of a heart and cemented with tears:
Whose parts are as thy hand did frame;
No workman's tool hath touched the same.
A HEART alone
is such a stone,
As nothing but
Thy pow’r doth cut.
Wherefore each part
of my hard heart
Meets in this frame
to praise thy name.
That if I chance to hold my  peace,
These stones to praise thee may not cease.
Oh, let thy blessed SACRIFICE be mine,
And sanctify this ALTAR to be thine.