SATB and organ. Text from Psalm 27:1,4,5,7.

Notes: This anthem has an ethereal quality which needs to be created by a pure sound from the sopranos at the start. The falling 5th and 7ths must be clean and accurate. Throughout, the melodic lines should be sensitively phrased with careful consideration of the dynamics. Any syncopation should be rhythmically accurate but not jagged and pointed. The passages where everyone is singing the same words may need to be practiced to make sure the words and chords sound together in all parts. There are many passages where the basses have a descending chromatic scale. Make sure this is confidently in tune and rhythmical as they underpin the harmony. At the end of the Gloria encourage all singers to sing ‘pp’. Again, the soprano line needs to be sustained and controlled ending on a D major chord that ‘diminuendos’ into silence.