Sunday, December 04, 2005
A recommendation for a contemporary Advent anthem:
Eternal Light (by Jane Marshall)
From Liam, part 2:
1. Eternal Light, shine in my heart;
eternal hope, lift up my eyes;
eternal power, be my support;
eternal wisdom, make me wise.
2. Eternal Life, raise me from death;
eternal brightness, help me see;
eternal Spirit, give me breath;
eternal Savior, come to me:
3. Until by your most costly grace,
invited by your holy word,
at last I come before your face
to know you, my eternal God.
The anthem could be sung by the congregation to Marshall’s tune, JACOB, found in the 1982 Episcopalian Hymnal. But the choral setting in the octavo version is quite lovely: unison men for the first verse, two-line counterpoint for the second, and SATB harmony for the last. A fine find.
