Praise and Revelation

34 minute - 5 movement cantata for SATB (div) choir and orchestra (25 pieces).

Performance options: Individual movements can be done as anthems. You could perform it with some individual instruments, organ, and piano. Given the right incentive (and enough time), I could generate an orchestra sound track, I imagine.

Sorry that the choir is hard to hear sometimes in the recording. The choir sang their hearts out, but brass is hard to hold back.

Movements: (About the recordings)

Streaming mp3

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1. Holy, Holy, Holy - Fast with a regal middle movement. Every time I've performed this cantata, I've had applause erupt after this movement!!! Would work well as a festive anthem.
Sample Score | Streaming mp3 |

2. A Lamb will Be Your Shepherd - Beautiful and slow. Makes a wonderful anthem.
Sample Score | Streaming mp3 |

3. Fear God and Give Him Glory - Majestic and powerful. I love this work. It has one of my best endings ever, after my longest crescendo ever.
Sample Score | Streaming mp3 |

4. Worthy is the Lamb - Slow and contemplative. It starts with a beautiful and expressive cello solo. I was unsure of this movement until my accompanist told me that it was his favorite, especially the parallel 4th in the women's voices.
Sample Score | Streaming mp3 |

5. Come, Lord Jesus - Slow, simple, beautiful. My vision of the ending is Jesus' ascension to heaven. If I remember correctly, I think I even had the choir move their eyes upward to show this...
Sample Score | Streaming mp3 |

Composer Notes:

This is my first cantata and quite an accomplishment for me. I started a couple of melodies at Christmas, asked for the choir's support at the first January rehearsal, and performed it at the end of April!!! Not only was it scary to have to write the music and lyrics, but I had never written for orchestra before.

At the first orchestral rehearsal I was terrified. I had staked our entire music budget on this performane and didn't know yet if I "had it". (You either have it or you don't.) As the orchestra starting playing I had only one movement of the conductor's score on my stand. The others were just barely done: I hadn't had time to print them, yet. Three choir members were printing and enlarging them on the copier for me and placing them behind the other pages as I conducted. I had just barely made it!!!

After just a few minutes of rehearsal I realized "I had it". What a relief!

And I have used the "Revelation Theme" in all three of the I AM! cantatas and is the logo for my website (see above)!