Jubilate Music
19949, SATB, $2.30
Date released: 2001

John Parker and Mark Hayes have collaborated on another winner! This song of praise is appropriate for any denomination and almost any type of service. Parker’s text is an extended metaphor of God as the music of the universe and all of creation as His choir, yielding our lives to His control in order to sing in the “eternal, grand performance…in one accord.” Hayes masterfully sets this text, opening breathlessly with a gorgeous melody that builds into the powerful statement, “You are the music, O great Jehovah!” Hayes’ skill at crafting a melody and creating harmonies that engage listeners has never been more evident. The partwriting is not difficult, but the phrases require control and musical sensitivity. Contrasts abound throughout the piece, both in dynamics and tempi, and the piece ends with a 6-part divisi climax, resulting in a song that every good adult church choir should have in its library ready for repeated programming! Consider the orchestral parts for a truly unparalleled performance.