About the Piece

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Written for and premiered by the Trinity United Methodist Church of Denver Women's Choir under the direction of Michael Ballard. Premiered on Dec. 9th, 2018 at Trinity United Methodist Church of Denver, CO.

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The Story

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Continuing my relationship with the Trinity United Methodist Church of Denver Women's Choir, I tried my hand at something I'd never done before in a new piece I was writing for them: arranging. I have always loved the two tunes, "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel," and "I Wonder as I Wander," and when I considered the meaning behind the words for each one (one being a calling for Christ to come, and the other a reflection on what he did after his departure) it seemed like a pairing that would make for a really interesting work.

 

The piece is an arrangement of the "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel" chant, but contains snippets of the "I Wonder as I Wander" melody as interludes in the piano part, and eventually the choir. My goal was to view the Jesus from both sides of his actual presence here-- the longing for a Savior juxtaposed with the lasting impression of his coming. Said to be an inventive arrangement using interesting harmonizations and unexpected twists, your Treble Choir is sure to love this work! 

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Listen:

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See the Score:

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Text:

English

Translation of original Latin Chant text by John Mason Neale (1851)

 

O come! O come! Emmanuel!
And ransom captive Israel;
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel!

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Order the Music: