Welcome to Anthem 33 in my attempt to write a new choir anthem every week for a year. I’m Kevin Mulryne and I hope you will enjoy listening to my progress throughout 2024. Please do visit the website Anthem52.com, follow along on x.com – @realanthem52 or Instagram – @realanthem52 and send me a message to show@anthem52.com.
THis week’s text comes from a very long psalm – cxix (119). It is split up in the Irish Book of Common Prayer into many sections and the words I chose are verses 145 – 152. There are a lot more words than I usually set and I think that’s at least partly down to how the process went. It was comparatively easy to write this anthem. It seemed to flow better than last week’s. I don’t know if the end result is better or worse but the resulting anthem feels fairly complete and coherent.
Words for Anthem 33:
I call with my whole heart : hear me, O Lord, I will keep thy statutes.
Yea, even unto thee do I call : help me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.
Early in the morning do I cry unto thee : for in thy word is my trust.
Mine eyes prevent the night-watches : that I might be occupied in thy words.
Hear my voice, O Lord, according unto thy loving-kindness : quicken me according as thou art wont.
They draw nigh that of malice persecute me : and are far from thy law.
Be thou nigh at hand, O Lord : for all thy commandments are true.
As concerning thy testimonies, I have known long since ; that thou hast grounded them for ever.
The topic is not one I would normally have gone for, particularly after finding the Lent period a difficult one to write for earlier in the year. However, these words seemed to lend themselves to an anthem with organ accompaniment for whatever reason.
Also unusually, the tonality stays firmly in A minor – the same key as last week’s anthem started in but moved away from. It’s interesting to note that I don’t think this reduces its overall effect. I also used a static pedal note in the bass part of the organ like last week but there is more variation this time, as it moves, fairly effectively underneath the choir at bar 36.
I like the variation in dynamics I used. The piece starts quietly and I was expecting it to continue softly for the whole anthem but the music had different ideas. A quiet opening plea turns more intense in the middle and then fades away at the end.
I used more fast-moving semi-quaver (16th note) ostinato figures in the organ part, as I have done in previous anthems to create a contrast with the slower-moving choral parts. The notes used are foreshadowed at a slower tempo before the new section begins. There are also slow-moving bass pedal notes – again a technique I have enjoyed before.
At bar 71, the music moves to 3/4 from 4/4 to provide a bit of variety and then previous material is reworked for a final, loud declamation.
Fragments of the foreshadowing organ part are added to bring the anthem to a close, with the opening words again above. The final bars have the organ alone, petering out.
Anyway, see what you think:
Well, what do you think? Let me know on X.com @realanthem52, Instagram @realanthem52, as a comment below or via email show@anthem52.com
I hope you will join me next week for a new episode – and a new anthem – only 19 to go – but until then the question remains – will I make it to Anthem 52?
