Like As The Hart: SATB Choral Octavo

Weir's setting of this Psalm text carries genuine spiritual weight while remaining eminently singable for intermediate choirs. The piece balances moments of vulnerability with sections of confident affirmation, giving singers real dramatic territory to explore rather than relying on conventional piety.

The music unfolds with a reflective, searching quality that captures the Psalm's imagery of longing and spiritual thirst. Weir's harmonic language is modern yet warm, never cold or forbidding, and the piece builds moments of radiant hope without straining.

Intermediate to advanced SATB choirs with solid ensemble blend and intonation. This work suits programs that include other contemporary sacred music or positions well alongside Renaissance choral repertoire.

• Attend to the text prosody throughout. Weir's rhythmic choices align naturally with the language, so honor the placement of syllables rather than smoothing them into regular patterns.
• Balance the part writing carefully in dense passages. The voices often move in close harmony, which means intonation in the middle voices becomes audible; this reward diligent sectional rehearsal.
• Shape longer phrases with subtle dynamic support rather than obvious crescendos. Let the harmonic movement and text punctuation provide direction.

Program this alongside other settings of Psalms to highlight different compositional approaches to sacred text. It works equally well in a liturgical context or a concert program focused on contemporary British choral music. The eight-page length makes it substantial enough to anchor a program section without overwhelming rehearsal time.

• Reading modern harmonic language with close voice leading
• Shaping longer phrases with text-driven musicality
• Balancing inner voices in dense part writing
• Interpreting contemporary approaches to sacred texts