Give Us The Wings Of Faith: SATB Choral Octavo

Whitbourn crafts a setting that feels genuinely uplifting without resorting to bombast or oversimplification. The harmonic movement unfolds naturally across the four voices, offering each section meaningful musical material while the overall shape builds organically toward a satisfying conclusion. This is the kind of piece that sounds more accomplished than it plays, which means your singers leave rehearsal feeling they've done something real.

The piece opens with a sense of aspiration and wonder, unfolding through richly harmonized passages that feel both contemporary and emotionally direct. There's an inherent optimism in the writing, a quality of striving that matches the text's imagery of wings and transcendence.

This octavo suits intermediate to advanced SATB choirs seeking concert repertoire with genuine artistic substance. It works equally well in secular concert settings, festival programming, or occasions where you want music that inspires without claiming religious authority.

• Balance the inner voices carefully during moments where Soprano and Alto carry the primary melody. This piece rewards transparent four-part writing, so avoid letting Sopranos dominate the texture.
• Shape the phrase arc across longer lines rather than stopping at obvious punctuation. Let the text and harmonic movement guide your singers toward natural breath points.
• Connect the accompaniment to vocal phrasing rather than keeping it metronomically rigid. A responsive keyboard part lifts the piece considerably.

Consider this for a spring concert finale or as the centerpiece of a thematic program exploring hope and human resilience. Its six pages and moderate difficulty make it a strong anchor piece alongside shorter works or more challenging contemporary selections, providing both musical substance and variety within a single concert.

• Independent inner voice singing within four-part harmonic writing
• Sustaining longer phrases while maintaining text clarity
• Balance and blend across all four voice parts
• Responding to subtle harmonic color changes
• Ensemble intonation in contemporary harmonic language