Give Us Grace (based on a prayer by Jane Austen) SSA (unaccompanied) by Joanna Forbes L'Estrange

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Give Us Grace Music & Lyrics (adapted from a prayer by Jane Austen)

by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange a gospel-style part-song

SSA (unaccomp.) andagio

Give us grace (A prayer of Jane Austen) When I was commissioned to write a piece for a concert on International Women's Day 2018, a hundred years after women (though not all of them) got the vote in the UK, I wanted to set a text written by a woman and which expressed something of the ongoing campaign for equal rights and opportunies. Jane Austen's beautiful and powerful prayer On each return of the night struck a chord with me as soon as I read it; I was particularly taken with the relevance and poignancy of the opening line Give us grace, Almighty Father, so to pray as to deserve to be heard.

The song is inspired by gospel style and should be sung with plenty of expression and with a rock-solid pulse. Above all, the words should be clear and as speech-like as possible. Sing it as if you mean it and you can't go wrong!

Joanna Forbes L' Estrange

Commissioned by Patrick Craig for Aurora Nova First performed by Aurora Nova on International Women's Day, 8th March 2018 at St James's Church, Piccadilly, London UK Copyright © 2018 andagio

Dedicated to Patrick Craig & Aurora Nova who gave the first performance on International Women's Day, 8th March 2018

Give us grace (A prayer of Jane Austen)

Words based on the prayer On each return of the night

by Jane Austen (1775-1817) with additional words by Joanna Forbes L'Estrange

Joanna Forbes L’Estrange

Gospel style (simple, with minimal vibrato) q = c. 72 SOPRANO 1

° # 4 mf °™ 3 4 3 & 4 œ œ ™¢™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 4 œ ‰ œj œ œ ™ 4 ùœ œ œ ™ œ œ œ 4 ù Give us

SOPRANO 2

grace, Al - migh - ty Fa - ther, so to pray,

°™ ¢™

#4 & 4Œ

as to de - serve to be heard this and

mf

3 4 3 4 Œ ‰ œj œ œ ™ 4 ùœ œ œ ™ œ œ œ 4

∑

as to de - serve to be heard this and

ALTO

°™ ¢™

#4 Œ & ¢ 4

3 4

∑

∑

4 4

œ œ™

j œ

3 4

∑

4

° #3 & 4œ

ev - 'ry

#3 & 4œ

day,

to

#3 Œ & ¢ 4

ad -

day,

to

ad -

Œ

6

#

& œ

4 4œ œ œ

‰

œ

œ œ™

j œ

this

with our

lips,

œ this

#

¢& œ

dress

œ Thee

œ Thee

with our

hearts

j œ

œ œ™ with our

‰ ‰

œ

œ

as

we

nœ

hearts

œ sing

œ œ

as

we

sing

œ

œ œ

mf

to

° # œ &

dress

4œ œ œ 4

‰

œ œ œ

ev - 'ry

4 œ œ 4œ

‰

œ œ œ

œ œ ™ #œj with our

œ

ad -

dress

Thee

œ œ™

œ

œ

with our

‰

j œ

œ œ™

hearts

as

we

sing

p

‰

Give us

grace,

œ

œ œ œ ù

Al - migh - ty

Fa

-

œ

œ

œ œ

ther,

so

to

œ

œ

œ œ

ther,

so

to

œ

œ

œ œ

ther,

so

to

pray.

p

‰

lips,

œ œ™ Give us

œ grace,

œ

œ

œ œ œ ù

Al - migh - ty

Fa

-

pray.

p

œ

œ œ™

j œ

this

with our

lips,

‰

œ œ™ Give us

© 2018

œ grace,

œ

œ

œ œ œ ù

Al - migh - ty

andagio

Fa

-

pray.

2

VERSE 1 8

° # 1. & ˙

f j ‰ più ™ œ œ œ

mfcresc. œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ mp œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ ‰ œ œ œ J J

Thou art

ev - 'ry - where pre - sent, from Thee no

più f

#

& ˙

j‰ œ™ œ œ

ev - 'ry - where pre - sent, from Thee no

ev - 'ry - where pre - sent, from Thee no

11

° # œ œ œ >œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ & J teach us to

teach us to

œ

œ œ œœ œœœ œ œ

With re - v'rence and de - vo -

œ

j ‰ œ œ œ œ œ

vain.

Give us

œ

‰ œj œ œ nœ œ

fix our thoughts on Thee.

With re - v'rence and de - vo -

grace, Al - migh - ty Fa - ther, so

˙

to pray.

p j ‰ & œ œ ™ œ œ™ œ nœ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ù

#

not in

vain.

Give us

tion

grace, Al - migh - ty Fa - ther, so

tion

pray

Give us

˙

j ‰ Œ œ

™™ ü †

˙

j ‰ Œ œ

™™ ü †

to pray.

j ‰ œ œ™ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ ùœ œ œ

not in

vain.

Give us

grace, Al - migh - ty Fa - ther, so © 2018

andagio

that we

j ‰ mf ™™ ü œ ™ œ œ †

p

¢& #œ

that we

œ œ œœ œœœ œ œ

#

pray

that we

mp

14

not in

tion

œ œ œœ œœœ œ œ

With re - v'rence and de - vo -

p ° # œ œ™ & œ œ™ œJ ‰ œ œ ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ùœ œ œ pray

May the know -

mp

#

teach us to

œ œ œ ‰ œj œ œ

fix our thoughts on Thee.

j ‰ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ ¢ >

se - cret can be hid.

mp

fix our thoughts on Thee.

# > & œ œ œ œ ‰ œJ œ œ œ œ

- ledge of this

May the know -

mfcresc. j j‰ œ œœ œ œœ œ œ œ‰ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

Thou art

- ledge of this

se - cret can be hid.

mp

j ‰ œ œ™ œ

- ledge of this

mfcresc.

j‰ œ œœ œ œ œ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œœ J œœ œ œ œ œ

più f

¢& ˙

May the know -

mp

Thou art

#

se - cret can be hid.

to pray.

3

VERSE 2

17

° # & ˙ 2.

f j ‰ più œ œ -œ -œ -œJ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ™ ùœ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ ù J Give us

#

& ˙ ¢& ˙

thank - ful sense

of the bles - sings in which we

live,

and of the

più f j ‰ œ œ œ j ‰ œ œ œ -œ -œ -œ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ù ù œ J Give us

#

a

a

thank - ful sense

of the bles - sings in which we

live;

and of the

più f j ‰ ‰ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™ ùœ œ œ œj ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ù Give us

a

thank - ful sense

of the bles - sings in which we

20

# & œ œœœœœ

of

our

and of the

-œ -œ -œ -œ ™ 4 œ ‰ œ ‰ œJ bœ œ œ 4

° # œ œœœœœ œœ 3 & J ‰ œ œ œ 4 œ™ ma - ny, ma - ny com - forts

live;

lot;

that we

may not de - serve

to

lose

them

3 œj œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ ™ 44 -œ -œ -œ -œ ‰ œj œ 4 œ œœ œ œ J

ma - ny, ma - ny com - forts

of

our

lot;

that we

#

3 j ‰ ¢& œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 4 œ™ ma - ny, ma - ny com - forts

of

our

may not de - serve

to

lose

them

‰ œ œ™ 44 ‰ j œ- œ- œ- œœ œ œ <n> œ

lot;

that we

may not de - serve

to

lose

them

A tempo q = c. 72 poco rit.

23

° # ‰ œ œ œ nœ œ & J by dis - con - tent

#

& œ by

# & ¢ #œ by

œ™ œ œ œ œ or

in - dif - fer - ence.

œ œ œ œ

œ™ œ œ œ œ

dis - con - tent

or

or

‰ œ

œ

this

we

œ

œ

‰

in - dif - fer - ence.

© 2018

œ œ œ

˙

This we pray.

in - dif - fer - ence.

œ œ œ œ nœ ™ œ # œ œ œ

dis - con - tent

‰ Œ

j ‰ mf œ œ œ™

andagio

this

we

Give us

b˙

œ

Œ

pray.

n˙ ™

pray.

Œ

4

FINAL REFRAIN

26

° # 3 & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 4œ ù grace, Al - migh - ty Fa -

& ¢&

#

ther, so

#

° #3 œ 5 & 4 œ œœ ‰ œœ4œ cresc.

ev - 'ry day,

œ œ™ œ

as

to be heard

ev - 'ry day,

cresc.

5 4 œœ œ

‰

to be heard

œ œ œ™ œ Œ œ œ œ™ Œ œ

lips,

#

œ œ™ Give us

-

serve

4 4

& œ

œ

lips,

#

œ œ™ Give us

¢& ˙ lips,

œ œ™ Give us

this and

3 4

˙ œ™ œ œ œ œœ œ œ 4 œ ™™ œ œ 4 sing

this with our

4 œ œ 4 ˙ œ™ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œ ™™ as we

sing

this with our

Œ nœ œ 44 ˙ œ œ œ œ™ ™œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ ™™ œ as we

sing

this with our

poco rit.

œ œ œ œùœ œ œ Œ

grace, Al - migh - ty Fa -

ther,

ù˙

Œ

ù˙

Œ

so

œ

U w

to

pray

œ œ œ œùœ œ œ

grace, Al - migh - ty Fa -

Œ

œ

U w

ther,

so

to

pray

œ

U w

mp

Œ

3 œ œ 4

poco rit.

mp

Œ

this and

∑

*

as we

mp

Œ

to de

∑

A touch slower

° # & ˙

serve

as

to ad - dress Thee with our hearts

32

-

œ œ™ œ

to ad - dress Thee with our hearts

Œ

to de

œ œ 43

j œ ™ 44 œ œ œ

to ad - dress Thee with our hearts

cresc. #3 5œ ‰ & 4œ œ œœ 4 œœ

#3 & ¢ 4Œ

j œ œ ™ 44 œ œ mf

‰

3 4

∑

29

to pray,

3 4Œ

∑

‰

œ œ œ œùœ œ œ grace, Al - migh - ty Fa - ther,

Œ

ùso˙

Œ

to

pray

* small notes are optional; for example, if you are singing just one to a part, they can be left out © 2018

andagio

Joanna Forbes L’Estrange (b.1971) is a British singer, songwriter and choral composer who receives engagements throughout the world. A Master of Arts music graduate of Oxford University, she began her career as soprano and Musical Director of the five-time Grammy® Award-winning a cappella group the Swingle Singers, during which time she started composing and arranging music.

She is founder and artistic director of the all-female vocal group AQUILA and appeared as a judge on the Sky 1 television series Sing: Ultimate A Cappella. In 2018, she made history with her charity single Twenty-first-century Woman, the first all-female recording session ever to have taken place at Abbey Road Studios.

For more information visit joannaforbeslestrange.com Facebook Joanna Forbes L’Estrange; Twitter @JoForbesLE; Instagram @joforbeslestrange

L’Estrange Music … for you and your choir For perusal scores, audio demos, learning resources, videos and to order sheet music go to lestrangemusic.com To book us to run a rehearsal on our music with your choir or to commission us to write a new piece/arrangement for your choir and for any other enquiries email us info@lestrangemusic.com To be the first to hear about new music from L’Estrange Music Like us on Facebook L’Estrange Music Follow us on Twitter @ForbesLEstrange Follow us on Instagram @lestrangesinthenight See back page for more pieces for Upper Voice Choirs

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