Blessed be the God and Father

This semester I'm taking a class on the book of 1 Peter. One of our assignments is to respond to the book in a creative way. I chose to write a review of Samuel Sebastian Wesley's choral anthem "Blessed be the God and Father." It is a setting of several key verses in chapter 1. Wesley wrote this piece for Easter Sunday at Hereford Cathedral in 1834. Here is summary of some of the most interesting aspects of the song. (You can read the entire paper here.)

Here is a Youtube video of the entire piece:

The anthem's five sections create a "sandwich"
The overall structure of the piece works something like this:

1. Full Choir
2. Chorus of men's voices
3. Women's solo & duet
4. Men's voices again
5. Full choir returns, this time with the organ

One of the striking effects of this arrangement is the clearing out that happens in the third section. (You can hear this transition beginning at 2:20 in the clip.) Moving from the chorus of men in the previous section to the spare setting really brings out the words “holy” and “pure” with the delicate soprano voices. It is easy to feel love as “pure” with the clear tones and harmony.

Working with what you have
Many of the choir members at Hereford Cathedral were members of holy orders. So on Easter Sunday most of the singers were called away to duties in other parishes. Wesley was left with just a small ensemble to compose for, which only included one bass voice.

I wonder if Wesley realized the similarities between his little choir and the small bands of Christians to whom 1 Peter was originally written. The epistle is primarily about being a witness in the world. This anthem was performed for a congregation that was emptied of many important lay and clergy who were out on mission during the church’s holiest day. At least Wesley's singers were out where they should be.

The words came before the music
Some church music composers come up with a melody first and then later try to fit the words into it. Not so in this anthem. Wesley’s melody follows the natural rhythms of the text, proving that he wrote the music parts to support the scripture verses. One of the clearest examples is his consistent setting of  the word “fervently” in the woman's solo voice. The emphasis of the melody and rhythm follows the natural cadence and stress of the word as spoken in natural English. (Watch the clip beginning at 3:45.)

The conclusion comes at the beginning
Wesley’s anthem does not follow the typical flow of music in the Romantic period. This piece does not build up to a big revelatory climax at the end. Instead, the most important material comes at the beginning.  In many ways, the climax happens right away, when the melody reaches a G-natural (at 1:10 in the clip). The (nearly) acapella voices provide the most stirring musical moment in the piece, which happens at the words "resurrection of Jesus Christ." This is also how the letter of 1 Peter is structured. It does not work up to a big point at the end. Rather, the “end” (in the sense of purpose) comes first, and the practical parts -- holy living, persevering without fear, loving one another -- are all based on that. Knowing the end doesn’t mean that life is finished. There is still much to develop -- sojourns in the wilderness and detours through the minor key -- but this life and its hardships are supported by the pillars of Jesus’ resurrection and the enduring word of God.