High O’er the Lonely Hills

It seems especially fitting, as we recollect the Conference of the Carolinas, to mention a piece composed for one of our host churches. Robert Powell’s setting of a hymn whose loss I regretted in the transition from the Hymnal 1940 to the 1982 was composed for the Church of the Advent in Spartanburg, South Carolina. I’d always thought of the text as relating to Advent or Christmas, but on re-reading it, Paraclete’s designation of it for Easter makes better sense. This piece should be readily in reach of any choir that can muster the four voice parts. The opening stanza is specified for soprano solo, but a sectional solo would also be possible; the third stanza is unaccompanied, and smaller forces might want some discreet support.
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians, Volume 20, Number 6
July/August, 2011