Beckenhorst Press
BP1707, SATB, $2.50
Date released: 2004

This poetic text by Beverly Easterling was inspired by Tchaikovsky’s Legend. Each of the four verses reference Christ’s experience in a garden…the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Garden Tomb, making this anthem suitable for Lent and Easter. With a flowing piano accompaniment, the anthem is set in a strophic form, featuring the women on the first stanza and the men on the second stanza, which is written in a minor mode. Hayes expands to 4-part homophonic writing on the third stanza in the key of Db, a full third lower than the original key. After a stirring extended modulation, the final stanza returns in the key of G, gloriously proclaiming Christ’s resurrection. The anthem ends with a brief coda, quietly underscoring the last few lines of text. Hayes keeps the partwriting to four parts, making this very accessible for adult choirs and some high school choirs. Ranges are not extreme, and the melody is very singable and memorable. The combination of Easterling’s text and Hayes’ music is magical.