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Text 1. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, Mount of Thy redeeming love.
2. Here I raise my Ebenezer; Here by Thy great help I’ve come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood;
3. O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.
Program Notes Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing has long been a favorite hymn of mine. It reminds me to embrace humility and admit my mistakes as I seek to live out the greatest commandments: loving God and loving each other. As we live in days where grace and mercy are scarce commodities, the text calls on us to give these gifts freely to one another, and just as importantly, accept them when others offer them to us. The University of Tennessee provided me with many transformative experiences, not the least of which was the privilege of conducting the Women’s Chorale for two semesters. Over the course of that year, I recognized that choral music would be my home—the place where I felt most comfortable and rewarded. I arranged this hymn as a gesture of thanks to the wonderful women who allowed me to make music with them. In a sense, this was my Ebeneezer—my monument of gratitude. It marked how far I had come during college and continues to provide a reference point for any progress I’ve made since then. —J.D.B.
SSA Version Premiered by the University of Tennessee Women’s Chorale, April 6, 2004. TTB Version Premiered by the University of Kansas Men’s Glee Club, October 22, 2017. Available for SATB, SAB, SSA, and TTB voicings as well as for Piano Solo. Cover image, Glistening taken by the composer on the Sea of Galilee, December 31, 2008. This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing Robert Robinson (1735-1790)
Tune, NETTLETON, from Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second, 1813 Arranged by Julian David Bryson Carefully tune the congas to the key of Db to help keep the singers on pitch.
q = 140
(Ad lib)
Perc.
mf
4
A.
A.
songs
A.
songs
T.
B.
Perc.
to
sing Thy
grace.
of
fount
of
of
praise;
praise;
mer -
Streams of
ev - 'ry
mp
loud - est
loud - est
This score is not licensed
Streams of
11
S.
heart
Perc.
1. Come, Thou
7
S.
Perc.
mf
mer -
cy,
cy,
bless
nev - er
Tune
ceas - ing,
nev - er
ing,
my
-
ceas - ing,
Call for
Call for
Teach me
Teach me
Teach me
©2003 Julian David Bryson All rights reserved. Licensed from MusicSpoke.com. for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies. License is non-transferable. Director should have a copy of the license to legally use this music.
mel.
Teach me
4
14
S.
some
A.
mel
some
T.
B.
mel
some
some
17
S.
B.
son
o - dious
-
flam
net,
Sung
by
A.
T.
net,
Sung
by
flam
-
ing
tongues a -
mel
-
o - dious
son
-
net,
Sung
by
flam
-
ing
tongues a -
B.
Pno.
Perc.
on
Mount of
Praise the
Mount of
Praise the
Mount of
it,
Mount of
Thy
re - deem - ing
love.
love.
up -
fixed
re - deem - ing
up -
Thy
Thy
it,
fixed
love.
up -
I'm
fixed
re - deem - ing
love.
mount!
up -
Thy
I'm
fixed
re - deem - ing
mount!
Praise the mount! I'm
Praise the mount! I'm
-
it,
tongues a -
son
on
ing
on
tongues a -
o - dious
it,
-
ing
-
flam
-
20
S.
mel
bove. on
by
-
son
Sung
net,
bove.
Perc.
-
o - dious
bove.
T.
-
bove.
A.
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5
24
S.
A.
T.
B.
Pno.
Perc.
ne
A.
ne
T.
B.
Pno.
Perc.
ne ne
-
zer;
Hith - er
Thy
by
zer;
Hith - er
by
Thy
help I'm
-
zer;
Hith - er
by
Thy
help I'm
come;
come;
come;
come;
And
And
-
Eb - e
-
And
hope,
by
Thy good
I
hope,
by
Thy good
I
hope,
by
Thy good
I
hope,
by
Thy good
I
And
mine
Eb - e
-
mf
-
mine
-
ad lib.
help I'm
mf
Thy
by
Eb - e
raise
Hith - er
I
Eb - e
mine
raise
zer;
raise
I
mine
2. Here mel. mf
raise
I
I
2. Here mf
help I'm
2. Here mf
2. Here
mel. mf
-
27
S.
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6
31
S.
plea - sure,
A.
B.
Pno.
Perc.
plea
B.
Perc.
to
ar
to
ar
to
ar
plea - sure,
Safe - ly
to
ar
Je - sus
at
home,
rive
at
home.
- rive
at
home.
me
when
a
stran - ger,
me
when
a
me
when
sought
when
a
to
ar
to
ar
rive
at
rive
at
Safe - ly
to
ar
-
rive
at
Wan - d'ring from
the
fold
stran - ger,
a
stran - ger,
-
at
Wan - d'ring from
ar
-
rive
stran - ger,
-
to
Safe - ly
sought
me
Safe - ly
Safe - ly
home.
rive
-
Je - sus sought mel.
at
-
home. Je - sus sought
- rive
Je -- sus
home.
Pno.
Safe - ly
home.
T.
- sure,
home.
A.
Safe - ly
35
S.
Safe - ly
plea - sure,
T.
of
fold
of
Wan - d'ring from
the
fold
of
Wan - d'ring from
the
fold
of
the
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
7
39
S.
mel.
God.
A.
He,
B.
Pno.
Perc.
to
He,
blood.
B.
Pno.
Perc.
dan -
ger,
In - ter -- posed
pre - cious
In - ter - posed
His
pre - cious
res - cue
me from
dan -
ger,
In - ter - posed
His
pre - cious
His
pre - cious
ger,
His
blood.
me from
dan -
In - ter - posed
blood.
T.
ger,
me from
dan -
rit.
me from
blood.
A.
res - cue
to
res - cue
God. He, to God.
res - cue
He,
43
S.
to
God.
T.
3. O
3. O
3. O
3. O
to
q. = h
h = 70
f
to
grace f
how
grace f
how
grace
how
f
rit.
how
grace f
to
to
f
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great a
great a
great a
great a
8
46
S.
A.
T.
B.
debt
debt
debt
Perc.
grace,
T.
B.
grace, grace,
Pno.
Perc.
Dai - ly
I'm
-
or
Dai - ly
-
or
Dai - ly
-
or
Lord,
I'm
like
a
like
con -
con -
con -
Lord,
I'm
Dai - ly
con -
I'm
grace,
A.
or
49
S.
-
debt
Pno.
fet
-
a
fet
-
Lord,
like
a
fet
-
Lord,
like
a
fet
-
strained to
strained to
strained to
be.
Let
Thy
be.
Let
be.
Thy
Let
Thy
strained to
be.
Let
Thy
ter,
Bind
my
wan
ter,
mel.
rall.
-
d'ring
heart
to
Bind
my
wan
-
d'ring
heart
to
ter,
Bind
my
wan
-
d'ring
heart
to
ter,
Bind
my
wan
-
d'ring
heart
to
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rall.
Tempo primo
52
S.
9
p cresc. to m. 62
Thee:
A.
Prone to
Thee:
Thee:
T.
B.
Thee:
56
S.
feel
A.
B.
Pno.
Perc.
Prone to
Lord, I
Prone to
Lord, I
wan - der,
feel
it,
the
wan - der,
Prone to
leave
the
God
I
Lord, I
feel
p cresc. to m. 62
Prone to
wan - der,
love,
feel
it,
God
I
Prone to
Prone to
Prone to
Prone to
it.
Prone to
love;
leave
leave
God
the
the
leave
Lord, I cresc. to m. 62 p
p cresc. to m. 62
wan - der,
wan - der, Prone to leave cresc. to m. 62 p
p cresc. to m. 62
wan - der,
it,
wan - der,
T.
Tempo primo
Perc.
Prone to
Pno.
I
God
God
I
I
God I
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the
10
60
S.
ff
love; ff
A.
Perc.
mf
ff
B.
Pno.
Perc.
for
Here's my
for
Thy
Thy
Thy
Thy
courts a
courts a
-
-
bove.
Here's my
-
bove.
courts a
bove.
courts a
-
bove.
heart,
heart,
Lord,
take and
seal
Lord,
take and
seal
Lord,
take and
seal
mf
it,
it,
it,
Seal
it
Seal
Seal
it
it
Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, Seal it mf
ff
for
T.
mf
for
A.
heart,
love;
64
S.
Here's my
love;
Pno.
mf
ff
B.
love; ff
T.
mp
mf
Seal
it
for
Thy
mp
mp
Seal
Seal mp
it
it
for
for
mp
courts a - bove.
Thy
Thy
Seal
it
for
Thy
courts a - bove.
Come,Thou
courts a - bove.
courts a - bove.
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68
S.
A.
B.
Pno.
Perc.
Of
ev - 'ry
B.
Pno.
Perc.
grace.
Tune f
my
Tune f
my
to 2
grace.
Tune f
my
heart
to
sing Thy
Tune
my
2
heart
sing Thy
ff
A tempo ff
sing Thy
sing Thy
rit.
heart
11
to
heart
A tempo
grace.
T.
ing,
freely, slower
-
f
bless
grace.
A.
71
S.
of
mf
Fount
T.
rit.
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If you enjoyed Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, please also consider the following works from my catalog, available at or coming soon to MusicSpoke.com:
A Parable of Choices won the Yale Glee Club Emerging Composers Competition in 2017. It juxtaposes The Parable of the Old Man and the Young by WWI soldier and poet Wilfred Owen with the story of Abraham and Isaac as told in Genesis 22. Oscillating between two starkly contrasted sonic worlds, the parable presents a relentlessly confrontational choice: humility vs pride; life vs. death; peace vs. war. Though one may see it as a rebuke of national hubris, these concepts resonate most vibrantly for me when held up to the daily decisions of life. In our habits of commerce, travel, communication, and the like, may we move consistently toward humility, life, and peace. Commissioned and premiered by Louisville's Youth Performing Arts School Gentlemen's Ensemble, under the direction of Jacob Cook, for the Intercollegiate Male Chorus Festival of 2014 hosted by Rutgers University. …with music… (TTBB, SATB, or SSAA Choir and Piano) combines two previously unpublished songs by Kentucky Composer (and graduate of Louisville's Manual High School) John Jacob Niles. Come Gentle Dark and Epitaph provide a poignant look into the composer's later views on life and death interwoven with beautiful melodies and subtle harmonic surprises. Thomas Moore’s Minstrel Boy (SATB, SSAA, or TTBB with piano) describes an iconic “warrior bard,” committed to defending not only land, but ideals. For him, freedom of thought, speech, and art was more important than his life, and this strong and creative soul preferred death to oppression. While this tune has long been associated with memorials for first responders, I also see it as a call to arms for artists. Join us on the battlefield of ideas with harp and song and voices. Winner of the 2013 American Choral Directors Association Brock Memorial Student Composition Competition, Redemption Mass (SATB chorus, wind quintet or strings, piano, and percussion) is a tuneful, rhythmic, and inspiring setting of traditional and non-traditional texts. The simple, yet haunting Kyrie evokes ancient chants, while the rhythmically driving Gloria uses overlapping ostinato paints a picture of the Heavenly throne room described in Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4. Credo is an exuberant statement of faith filled with text painting, while the most accessible movement, Sanctus, is an uplifting song of praise again referencing the scene in Isaiah 6. Finally, Agnus Dei recalls themes from previous movements of the Mass against a stunning wall of sound, erupting into a passionate plea for peace. Also available as individual movements for mixed choir and piano. This accessible setting of We Are the Music Makers (SATB, SSAA, or TTBB and piano) brings O'Shaughnessy's famous text to life through lush harmonies, word painting, and exciting fanfares. Dedicated to the Randolph High School Class of 2011, it was premiered by their Concert Choir during their Commencement ceremonies.
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.