A Stranger Here (Patrick Hawes)

PATRICK HAWES

A Stranger Here

for SATB choir & Piano Vocal

forperusalonly

ISBN 978-1-910623-83-1 Published by Hawes Music Ltd

A Stranger Here

for SATB choir & Piano

Words by Thomas Traherne (1636 - 1674)

forperusalonly PATRICK HAWES

Premiered on 21st February 2026 at at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, New Castle, Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) Region

Choral Festival with host Justin Addicott and Mohawk Area School District.

Duration: circa 4 minutes

From the last verse of the poem The Salutation: A stranger here Strange things doth meet, strange glory see; Strange treasures lodged in this fair world appear, Strange all and new to me; But that they mine should be, who nothing was, That strangest is of all, yet brought to pass.

Words: Thomas Traherne (1636 - 1674)

Composer’s Note

The text of this choral piece takes the form of the last verse of Thomas Traherne’s poem The Salutation. In many of his poems, Traherne conveys a sense of childlike wonder, and in this poem he expresses genuine awe at the mystery of having come into being. He addresses his own infant body (‘these little limbs’) as if amazed at his own incarnation, marvelling at having entered this world of beauty and light and asking where his soul was before. In the words of A Stranger Here, he expresses deep gratitude for the sheer gift of life.

forperusalonly

It is essential that choirs are sensitive to this sense of gratitude. This is not a gratitude which is sung from the rooftops but is the product of quiet and profound refection and revelation. The glory of our existence is a mysterious glory, seen through the eyes of strangers in the world. With the words ‘But that they mine should be’, comes the realisation that the world’s treasures are an extraordinary gift to us all - and there must be a sense of this growing realisation as the music gradually moves towards great peace and a sense of fulflment in the fnal tonic chords of the pure and nourishing key of D fat major.

stran ger - here, a

strange glo r y - see, strange glo r y, -

strange glo r y - see, strange glo r y -

strange glo r y, - strange glo r y -

glo r y, - strange glo r y -

strange p glo r y - see, p (senza rit.)

strange glo r y, - glo p r y, - glo r y - see, strange glo r y, - glo p r y, - glo r y - see, glo p

Strange legato poco cresc

trea sures - lodged p in this fair world ap -

Strange legato poco cresc

trea sures - lodged p in this fair world aplodged p legato in this fair world aplodged p legato in this fair world app

pear, - in this fair world ap pear,poco rit. a tempo

pear, - in this fair world ap pear, -

pear, - in this fair world ap pear, - in p this fair pear, - in this fair world ap pear,p cantabile poco rit. a tempo

in p this fair world ap pear, - ap pear, p -

in p this fair world, fair world a pear, p -

world ap - pear, in this fair world ap pear,p in this fair world ap pear, pp

and new to me;

and new to me; strange all, and new to and new to

But p espress. that they mine should be, me; p espress. But me;

who no thing - was, who un poco meno mosso

who no thingthat they mine should be, who no thing - was, who no thingun poco meno mosso no thing

all, that stran gest - is, a tempo

all, that stran gest - is, that stran gest - is, a tempo

stran p gest - of all, yet p brought, brought, poco rit. a tempo

stran p gest - of all, brought, brought,

stran p gest - of all, brought,

stran p gest - of all, brought, p poco

brought, brought subito to

brought, brought subito to brought, brought subito to brought, brought subito to subito

pass,

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