Praise ye the Lord

Biblical

Choral level of difficulty: 2-3 (5 greatest)

A substantial anthem for choir (SSAATB) and organ commissioned to celebrate the quincentenary of Bishop Dunbar’s remarkable Heraldic Ceiling in St Machar’s Cathedral, Aberdeen. MacMillan set the words from Psalm 111 which is a continuous psalm of praise mirrored in its opening verse: ‘Praise ye the Lord, I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation’. The organist is given a substantial part to play which will be challenging for some organists. They set the uplifting mood right from the start with strongly rising phrases. The choir is given a fairly straightforward task and this is another example of MacMillan the practical composer writing with a full knowledge of the forces for whom he is composing. There is no ‘writing down’ and the music is unequivocally MacMillan’s and this is one of his great skills. One of the surprises in this score is the quiet ending but the feeling undoubtedly at ‘his praise endureth for ever’ is a fading away into the far distant future. It is very effective.

This anthem will be easily within the grasp of many choirs who have the services of a good organist.

Repertoire Note by Paul Spicer