Then Sings My Soul, with Total Praise

Total Praise: By Richard Smallwood. Then Sings My Soul (How Great Thou Art): Words and music by Stuart K Hine, arranged by Mary McDonald.

This short anthem, with orchestra and piano accopaniment, was our call to worship this week, the last Sunday of the month which is our Choir, Bells, and Orchestra service. I’ll just offer the publisher’s description:

"You are the source of my strength, You are the strength of my life". This uplifting anthem is stunning in its emotional power, ending with a reflective setting of the Lutkin Seven-fold Amen. Powerful from beginning to end, this anthem of praise is just what you need to fill the sanctuary with the Sprit!

---

This anthem, a rendition of How Great Thou Art with “altered” melody (from the publisher’s description), was originally discovered by the bell chorus, and then combined with the choral arrangement. Here we present it with the bells.

The high sopranos, on the last notes at the very end, are barely audible in this recording for some reason, but they were right in my ear and it was wonderful. Being now located beside the sopranos, we (the altos, just left of the center aisle) can confidently blend our harmonies with the soprano melodies and that’s pretty exciting too.

---

I don’t know what’s going on with our livestream audio. I know it wasn’t the audio tech. Something seems not right, somewhere. I am tempted to get involved, but this body keeps saying “no more, no more!” At least we had our full alto section, six of us.

This is not a “professional” choir, but singing with this group is one of the joys of my life. Others are feeling it too, and this day we were heard right over the bells and the orchestra, all the way through the musical portion of the service.

Unlike most of the other choirs I have been a part of, this one sings with the congregation, usually with four-part harmony (when available, or sometimes improvising), and there is plenty of music to sing. My earlier choirs mostly came up, sang the anthem, and sat down. One previous choir sang three songs with the congregation followed by our anthem. Here’s the music we sang just for this one service, before the sermon:

Total Praise (call to worship)
God Leads Us Along
Send the Light
Jesus Saves
Blessed Assurance
Then Sings My Soul (anthem)
His Mercy is More (current weekly all-church song and choir exit number)

This is actually seems like a little less than usual, although the offertory was Higher Ground with orchestra only, where usually that is our anthem spot.

We don’t ordinarily rehearse the service music (the music other than the anthems). The old-timers usually know them, and the rest of us sight-sing. If I’m concerned about how well I know it, I either practice at home or come in early for the pre-service run-through and practice then. On these Sundays we all come in early for the run-through.

What a morning!

---

Recorded at Christ Community Church, Carmichael, California, January 28, 2024
Excerpted from this livestream.