Morning Canticle

Thomas Ken’s hymn, “Awake, my soul, and with the sun,” finds a cheerful, appealing musical embodiment in this straight-forward anthem. The music vacillates freely between E minor and G major, yet the harmonic landscape is nonetheless stable and sturdy. The choir moves through the text homophonically in confidently flowing lines. Aside from a few brief moments of divisi, the choral parts are extremely accessible, as is the organ accompaniment. While supporting the voices throughout, the organ part is no mere doubling. It augments the texture with interesting counter melodies, fills out chords, and at turns recedes into the background when the choir has increased activity. The piece sets all four verses found in The Hymnal 1982, ending with ubiquitous doxology.
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians
December 2013