No Hands But Yours: SATB Choral Octavo

A prayer set to music; reflective and direct without sentimentality. The title signals vulnerability and dependence, and Peterson's writing likely honors that tension between confession and hope.

Intermediate to advanced SATB choirs with solid vocal blend and text awareness. This works equally well in church settings, concert performances, and festivals where sacred music with contemporary sensibility fits the context.

• Balance the text intelligently across all four parts. This isn't a piece where the sopranos carry the melody alone; Peterson distributes the narrative voice throughout the texture, so each section needs clarity to land the emotional arc.
• Shape phrases through breath points rather than holding full measures. The meaning lives in the words, and natural speech rhythms will guide your tempo and phrasing choices more effectively than conducting the bar line.
• Blend the harmonic transitions carefully in the middle section. The piece likely moves through key areas to support its spiritual message, and slight tempo give-and-take between sections can highlight these shifts without feeling disjointed.

Pair this with other contemporary sacred works for a concert celebrating modern hymn writing, or use it as a closing piece for a service where the text's message of reliance resonates with your liturgical moment. Six pages makes it substantive enough to anchor a program without overwhelming shorter works around it.

• Singing text with emotional intention across a longer phrase arc
• Balancing part independence with blend in four-part harmony
• Reading and interpreting contemporary compositional choices in sacred music