Preview: I Stand the Watch Before the Dawn
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I Stand the Watch Before the Dawn
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SKU: A0.971687
Composed by Michael E. Ropp. 20th Century,A Cappella,Christian,Sacred. Octavo. 11 pages. Michael E. Ropp #2034327. Published by Michael E. Ropp (A0.971687)."I Stand the Watch Before the Dawn" is a dramatic piece for SATB choir and tenor and soprano soloists, for the season of Advent. The piece begins with the solo tenor and piano, in which the tenor plays the part of the night watchman and expresses longing for the light, and anguish at the condition of the people in the darkness. The tenor solo ends with the words "Why have you forsaken us?" The choir then enters a cappella (in performance, the choir can be doubled on organ using soft strings if necessary--it's difficult for the choir to get its starting pitches), and a soaring solo soprano provides the answer: the Light has come, but more than that, "You were never alone; you are never alone; you will never be alone". One staging idea for this piece is to have the solo tenor up front, and the choir and soprano unseen in the rear, especially if there is a rear balcony that will hold the choir. However it is staged, this piece provides worshipers with a powerful and unforgettable reassurance that they do not face their darkest hours alone. (Please note that the MP3 file has some oddities in the dynamics; the sudden changes are artifices of how the MP3 is rendered from Finale and should not be interpreted literally.).
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