God Is Our Refuge: SATB Choral Octavo

Harvey wrote this commission with rare clarity about what intermediate choirs need: strong harmonic writing without unnecessary complexity, and text setting that lets meaning emerge naturally. The piece demonstrates that accessibility and artistic merit aren't opposing forces. Programming this work introduces your singers to a significant contemporary voice without overwhelming them.

There's a luminous quality to this setting of Psalm 46; the harmonic language feels both modern and rooted, never austere. The piece communicates conviction and shelter without resorting to sentimentality.

Intermediate SATB choirs seeking substantial 20th-century sacred music that doesn't demand extended techniques or unusual ensemble demands. Directors building a contemporary choral library will find this piece rewarding both for singers gaining exposure to Harvey's harmonic language and for audiences encountering modern liturgical composition.

• Balance the text intelligibility across all voices. Harvey's setting allows words to come through if you resist over-blending; clarity here actually serves the liturgical character.
• Shape the harmonic progressions deliberately. Even in passages with sustained chords, slight dynamic inflection through the harmonic movement prevents static sound.
• Let the Psalm's confidence come through in your tempo choices. Resist the urge to slow everything marked reflectively; this is a declaration of faith, not a lament.

Include this in a concert exploring faith and refuge across musical eras, or pair it with Renaissance and Baroque psalm settings to show how different centuries approach the same text. Its length and intermediate demands make it suitable for mid-year concert programming, allowing rehearsal time without monopolizing your sectional schedule.

• Reading and executing 20th-century harmonic language (modal inflection, extended tertian harmony)
• Maintaining blend while preserving text clarity in contemporary writing
• Interpreting dynamic shape across sustained harmonic progression
• Connecting liturgical text to musical expression in a non-traditional idiom