That Holy Thing | Nathan Jones | MusicSpoke

That Holy Thing for SATB unaccomp. by

Nathan Jones poem by

George MacDonald

This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com toŠ purchase performance copies.

2011 Nathan Jones Music

Publishing

This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

That Holy Thing for SATB

Nathan Jones

text, George MacDonald Š 2016 | Nathan Jones Music Publishing

This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

Oklahoman Nathan Jones (b. 1983) is a composer of art music published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Walton Music, GIA Publications, Southern Music Company, G. Schirmer, and MusicSpoke. A devoted admirer of the beauty and deep emotional connection of the human voice, Nathan enjoys working with poetry. His choral music has been performed in Europe, Southeast Asia and throughout the United States. The American Record Guide has described his music as a “…feast of succulent modern harmonies." Frequently commissioned by choirs and wind ensembles of all abilities, Nathan’s style is earnest, melodic, and defined by elegant simplicity. His choral work, I would live in your love, was recorded by The Westminster Choir under the direction of Joe Miller and is commercially available.

www.NathanJonesMusic.com

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That Holy Thing They all were looking for a king To slay their foes and lift them high: Thou cam'st a little baby thing That made a woman cry.

O Son of Man, to right my lot Naught but Thy presence can avail; Yet on the road Thy wheels are not, Nor on the sea Thy sail!

My how or when Thou wilt not heed, But come down Thine own secret stair, That Thou may'st answer all my need – Yea, every bygone prayer.

George MacDonald (1824-1905)

Composer's notes: I first became aware of George MacDonald's lovely poem "That Holy Thing" while participating in Westminster Choir College's yearly Readings and Carols performance at the Princeton University Chapel. Foreign language professor Diana Crane used the first stanza of the text at the end of her reading and from that moment I was inspired to write a carol using the entire text.

I love the language of this poem and I chose to set it simply. The lines should flow and lilt gently and the eighth-note should remain constant throughout. The carol should be performed with rhythmic flexibility and punctuation should inform breathing.

September 2011

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THAT HOLY THING George MacDonald (1824 – 1905)

# # # # 5 Pj & 8 œ œ œ

Nathan Jones (b. 1983) ASCAP

Gently rocking e = 120 (e = e)

Soprano

They

Alto

all

were

#### 5P œ œ V 8 œJ They

Bass

were

# # # # 5 Pj & 8 œ œ œ They

Tenor

all

œ

all

They

all

look - ing for a

were

were

look - ing for a

look - ing for a

œ

(for rehearsal only)

S

A

T

? # # # # 85 œœ J

# # # # pœ & J

œ œ œ œ J

look - ing for a

king

j œœ œ œœ œœ œ

œœ

œœ

œœ œœ œ œ J

foes

and lift them

high:

To slay their

œ

foes

and lift them

high:

œ

œ œ œ J

œ

F j œ œ œ F œ œ œ J

To slay their

F œ œ œ J

To slay their

œ œ J

œœ

j œ œ œ

foes

and lift them

œ œ œ J

œ

foes

œ œ

and lift them

j œœ œœ

œ œ œ œ

œœ

œ œ J

Thou cam'st

a

lit - tle

ba - by

thing

That

made

Thou cam'st

œ

lit - tle

œ

ba - by

thing

π 5 j 8 œ œ œ œ œ œ That

made

ba - by

thing

π j 5 œ 8 œ That

made

ba - by

thing

That

made

#### p j & œ œ #### p œ V J

œ

p ? #### œ J

œ

## j & # # œœ ? # # # # œœ J

œ

a

œ

œ

œ œ

P 2 j 4 œ œ œ œ.

P œ œ œ 42 œ .

J

a

lit - tle

œ

œ

P j œ œ 42 œ . œ œ.

œœ

j œ œ œ œ œ œ

a

lit - tle 5

œœ

P 2 œ œ 4 œ J œ.

œœ œœ

œ œ

œ œ œ œ œ œ J

42

œ.

œ.

42 œ .. œ

œ

To slay their

j œœ œœ

œœ

j œ œ œ

œ

œ

œ

Thou cam'st

(reh. only)

œ œ

king

F œ œ œ J

π 5 j 8 œ. œ

5

Thou cam'st

B

œ

œœ

king

j œ œ œ œ

Gently rocking e = 120 (e = e)

## & # # 85 œj œœ

king

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

P ? #### 5 œ œ œ 8 J

œ œ J œ œ

π j 5 œ 8 œ

œœ œ œ

œœ

38 œ .

85

38 œ . œ.

85

a

wo - man

cry.

a

wo - man

œ œ J

œ œ

œ œ

œœ

85

wo - man

œœ

œœ

38 œ .

a

œ œ

high:

85

38 œ.

j œ œ œ

œ

85

wo - man

j œ œ œ

high:

38 œ .

a

j 85 œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ j œ 85 œœ œ

œ œ

œœ

œ

cry.

cry.

cry.

38 œœ ..

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Please2014, visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase © 2011, revised 2016 | Nathan Jones Musicperformance Publishing copies.

85

4

THAT HOLY THING

# # # # 5 Œ Fj œ œ & 8 œ œ 10

9

S

O Son of

A

# # # # 5 Fj & 8 Œ œ œ œ œ O Son of

T

Man,

## & # # 85 Œ ? # # # # 85 Œ

j œ œ œœ

Man,

T

B

P ? #### œ œ œ Yet

(reh. only)

on the

#### P & œ œ œ Yet on the P # ## V # œ œ œ Yet

on the

on the

## & # # œœ œœ ? # # # # œœ œœ

Man,

10

œ œœ œœ J

# # # # Pœ & œ œ Yet

A

to right my

œ

Fœ œ # ? ## # 5 Œ J œ œ œ œ œ 8 œ

14

S

lot

# # # # 5 Fœ œ œ œ œ V 8 Œ J œ œ œ

O Son of

(reh. only)

to right my

j œ œ œ

Man,

O Son of

B

œ œ œ J

15

85 œ

œœ

lot

Naught but Thy

Naught but Thy

œ

Naught but Thy

j œœ œœ œœ

œ œ

œ œ J

road

Thy wheels are

42

road

œ J œ œ

Thy wheels are

42 œ .

road

j œ œ œ

42 œ .. œ

j œ œ œ œ

42

85 œ 85 œ 85 œœ 85 œœ

Thy wheels are

œ œ J

œœ

œœ œœ

a

-

vail;

42 œœ

lot

j œ œ œ

85 œ

pres - ence can

j œ œœ œ

to right my

œ

Thy wheels are

vail;

j œ œ œ

Naught but Thy

road

-

f œ œ 3 œœœ 2 œ 4 8 œ

lot

œ J œ œ

a

f 2 œ œ œ œ 3 œ.

4 8

œ œ œ J

œ œ

pres - ence can

f 24 3 œ œ œ œ 8 œ.

j œ œ œ

to right my

œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ

f 2 œ œ nœ œ 3 œ.

4 8

œ œ œ J

42

15

œœ

œœ

œ

œ œ

œœ

pres - ence can

a

-

pres - ence can

a

-

œœ n œœ œœ œ œ

œ 42 œ

œ œ

p

5 j 8 œ. œ

œ œœ

38 œ . œ.

38 œœ . œ œ

the sea Thy

38 œ.

85

5 j 8 œ œ œ œ œ œ

the sea Thy

38 œ.

sail!

85

38 œ .

sail!

85

38 œ .

85

38 œ.

85

œ.

Nor

œ.

p

on

not,

Nor

on

not,

Nor

on

the sea Thy

not,

Nor

on

the sea Thy

œ.

42 œ .. œ

vail;

œœ œ œ

not,

œ.

vail;

p j 5 œ 8 œ p j 5 œ 8 œ

j œ œ œ j œ œ œ

j 85 œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ j œ 85 œœ œ

œ œœ œ

œ œ œ œ œ J œ

sail!

sail!

38 œœ ..

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85

5

THAT HOLY THING

# # # # 5 Œ Pj & 8 œ œ œ

19

S

My how or

A

P #### 5 & 8 Œ œj œ œ

My how or

T

P #### 5 œ œ V 8 Œ œJ

My how or

B

S

when

Thou wilt not

j œ œ œ

œ

œ

heed,

œ œ

when

œ œ œ J

Thou wilt not

heed,

## & # # 85 Œ

20

j œœ œ œ œ

œœ

j œ œœ œœ

œœ œ œœ J

? # # # # 85 Œ

# # # # Pœ & J

# # # # Pj & œ #### P œ V J P ? #### œ J

That

(reh. only)

œ œ œ œ œ

heed,

heed,

That

B

Thou wilt not

Thou wilt not

That

T

when

œ

when

That

A

œ J œ œ

œ

P ? #### 5 Œ œ œ œ 8 J

My how or

(reh. only)

20

## j & # # œœ ? # # # # œœ J

œ

œœ œ œœ

24

œ

Thou

œ

Thou

œ Thou

œ

Thou

œ

may'st

œ

may'st

œ

may'st

œ

may'st

œ

42

œ

j œ œ œ

42

œ

œ œ œ J

œ

j œ œ œ

an - swer all

an - swer all

an - swer all

an - swer all

œ œ

œœ œœ

œœ œœ

j œ œ œ œ

œ œ J

œœ

my

my

my

my

œœ œœ

stair,

But come down

œ

Thine

own se - cret

stair,

œ

œ œ œ J

œ

p j œ œ œ p œ J œ œ

But come down

Thine

p œ J œ œ

œ

But come down

own se - cret

œ œ œ J

j œœ œœ œœ

œœ

œ œ

need–

F

Yea,

need–

œ.

œ œœ œœ œ J

prayer.

j œ œ œ œ œ

p

Yea,

ev' - ry

by - gone

prayer.

need–

Yea,

ev' - ry

by - gone

prayer.

need–

Yea,

ev' - ry

by - gone

p j œ œ nœ œ œ p j œ œ œ œ œ

œ.

œ.

42 œ .. œ

j œ œ

œœ œœ

œœ

œœ

œ n œœ œ

œœ œœ

œœ

U ˙

by - gone

j œ

œ

œ œ

p j œ œ œ œ œ

Slower (e ≈ 72)

stair,

stair,

œœ

ev' - ry

œ

own se - cret

œ œ

œœ

j œ œ œ

Thine

Slower (e ≈ 72)

F 24 œ . œ.

œ

own se - cret

F

œ.

j œ œ œ

Thine

œ œ J

F 24 . œ

42

œ

But come down

j œœ œœ

œœ

œ œ œ J

24

œœ

œ œ

œ œ

œœ J

p œ œ œ J

U ˙ U ˙

œ œ Uœ prayer.

U ˙˙ U ˙œ œ Uœ September, 2011 |

North Brunswick, NJ This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

www.NathanJonesMusic.com

This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.