Psalm 23: Choral Instrumental Pak
By Pepper Choplin
Item: 35-PK00370933
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Description
This major work is an affirmation of assurance that takes us on a musical and spiritual pilgrimage through the beloved 23rd Psalm. Singers and listeners will be carried from peaceful meadows to the shadowed valleys, and from the fragile hope of faith, to life everlasting. A work of scope and substance, "Psalm 23 - A Journey with the Shepherd" gives directors a wonderful opportunity to program "outside the seasonal box." A glorious orchestration by Michael Lawrence decorates the expressive choral writing with color and a theatrical sweep.
Songs include: "We Are Not Alone; The Lord Is My Shepherd; Restore My Soul; Lead Me on the Paths of Righteousness; Though I Walk through the Valley; You Comfort Me; My Cup Overflows; We Are Not Alone (reprise); Surely Goodness and Mercy."
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK00370933
More about this title
About the Composer: Pepper Choplin
Pepper Choplin studied music composition at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, following his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His catalog includes over two hundred anthems and seven choral musicals, drawn from a career spanning church music direction, theme park performance, and work across rock, classical, and bluegrass idioms.
Choplin conducts and clinics throughout the country, moving audiences through both laughter and tears with his blend of inspirational and humorous material. As Minister of Music at Greystone Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, many of his compositions emerge directly from worship planning needs. His creative aim remains constant: to write music that draws people into genuine, dramatic worship.
Why we love this
Choplin structures this nine-movement journey with intelligent pacing, moving singers and audiences through emotional and spiritual terrain without the constraints of a holiday calendar. The orchestration by Michael Lawrence brings theatrical weight to the choral writing, giving even modest performing forces a sense of scope and color that rewards careful preparation.
What to expect
The work unfolds like a processional through both comfort and trial, grounded in the reassurance of the familiar psalm. Listeners travel from stillness to shadow to restoration, experiencing the spiritual arc of faith not as abstraction but as lived journey, moving ultimately toward a sense of wholeness and grace.
Who it's for
Choirs seeking a substantial sacred work beyond traditional seasonal programming will find this cycle inviting. Directors who want to deepen their choir's storytelling ability and expand their ensemble's theatrical range should consider this substantial project.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the choir's dynamic range across the arc of nine movements. The opening and closing reprises of 'We Are Not Alone' bookend the work, so their textural clarity matters enormously to the overall shape.
- Attend to the orchestration's scenic function. Lawrence's instrumentation paints the shift from peaceful meadows to shadowed valleys; let the musicians know the landscape they're depicting in each section.
- Rehearse the transitions between movements deliberately. A work of this scope benefits from seamless pacing that respects both the musical and emotional momentum.
How to use it
Program this in spring or fall when your calendar allows flexibility beyond Christmas and Easter commitments. Pair it with a shorter, contrasting work to create a concert that showcases your choir's interpretive maturity and gives the ensemble genuine artistic weight on the platform.
Skills your students will build
- Sustaining narrative arc across multiple connected movements
- Interpreting sectional dynamic shifts that reflect textual imagery
- Balancing choir and orchestra for clarity and blend
- Conducting independent vocal lines over instrumental texture