I saw the Lord

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The Festival Anthem I saw the Lord (2012) is a setting of words from Isaiah Ch 6, some of which are perhaps better known in the context of the great Victorian anthem by John Stainer. This Trinitarian/Dedication text (starting with the words “in the year that King Uzziah died”) is both powerful and full of dramatic imagery - flying seraphim, live coals, cries of the Tersanctus - as well as containing darker and more reflective passages.

Although through-composed, this piece, written for Daniel Cook and St Davids Cathedral Choir, is divided loosely into five sections. The first few bars declaim the opening sentence in solemn tones - all parts sing a unison B natural over a passacaglia-like pedal motif which appears in different guises throughout the work. This leads into a faster and more agitated section depicting the six-winged seraphim together with their cries of "Holy, Holy, Holy". These cries contain the opening of the plainsong Sanctus from Mass XI - Orbis factor.
Following on from this, a more sombre and reflective section dealing with the despairing "Woe is me, for I an undone" - scored for tenor solo. The seraphim then interject again with a dramatic passage (similar in style to that in section 2) powering inevitably towards the climax of the work: "And thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged". The piece concludes with a hushed, repeated invocation: "Here am I; send me" with the organ echoing the rising seventh motifs heard at the start - in prayerful contemplation.

I Saw the Lord is also available to print on demand. Contact hire@fabermusic.com for more information.

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