Do Not I Love Thee, O My Lord?

Augsburg Fortress

SATB, a cappella

A sensitive, expressive anthem based on the sturdy early American tune DETROIT, perfectly capturing the deeply personal text that seeks to grow in the love for God.

Using the tune Detroit from The Sacred Harp, Shaw has fashioned a deeply expressive setting of this text. The part writing is clear and solid; yet, as is often the case for choirs, working on intonation and deep listening will be key. Set in D minor, the opening stanzas feature contrasts between humming and singing voices (i.e., SA voices hum while TB voices sing). The third stanza is sung in full, four-part harmony with divisi passages in the soprano and alto parts. The thoughtful writing and development is concluded by a beautiful cascade of Amens that resolve with a Picardy third. This arrangement is moderately difficult and probably best interpreted without instrumental accompaniment.

CrossAccent

vol. 28/2