Then Sings My Soul (How Great Thou Art) (arr. Mary McDonald): SAB Choral Octavo
Then Sings My Soul (How Great Thou Art) (arr. Mary McDonald) Sheet Music Preview

Then Sings My Soul (How Great Thou Art) (arr. Mary McDonald): SAB Choral Octavo

By Stuart K. Hine / Arranged by Mary McDonald

Item: 35-DS00433637
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Description

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Additional Details
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Page Count: 10
SKU: 35-DS00433637

More about this title

About the Composer: Stuart K. Hine

Stuart K. Hine (1899–1989) was a British songwriter and composer who shaped congregational music across the 20th century. Best known for his English lyrics to the Swedish hymn tune O Store Gud, he created the beloved text "How Great Thou Art," which transformed the original melody into one of the most recognizable hymns in Christian worship.

Hine's gift lay in matching singable, theologically rich English words to existing melodies in ways that felt native to English speakers. His work demonstrates how thoughtful arrangement and lyric adaptation can give classical compositions new life in contemporary settings. For educators, Hine's legacy shows the power of making great music accessible without sacrificing depth.

Why we love this

Mary McDonald's arrangement strips this hymn to its essence while preserving its majesty. The SAB voicing is genuinely singable for mixed choirs without strong tenor sections, and the ten pages give the piece room to breathe through varied textures rather than relying on repetition to fill time.

What to expect

Reverent without being stiff. The melody carries the spiritual weight while the three-part harmony provides warmth and support rather than complexity. There is something stabilizing about singing this tune; the singers feel held by the structure and the congregation knows where they belong.

Who it's for

This works for any mixed choir that wants a staple of sacred repertoire in an accessible voicing. Whether you need an anthem for a service, a concert closer, or a piece that sits comfortably in singers' memories after one rehearsal cycle, this delivers.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the harmony parts carefully in the opening measures. If sopranos dominate, the contrapuntal motion between altos and basses becomes muddy.
  • Sing with vertical precision rather than pushing individual lines forward. The beauty emerges from clean, aligned sonorities.
  • Reserve dynamic growth for moments where the text reaches its theological peak. Restraint early makes climactic sections land harder.
  • Tune the thirds and sixths between outer voices with particular care. These intervals are exposed in hymnic texture and reveal intonation lapses immediately.

How to use it

This serves well as a concert finale or as part of a sacred music service where you want a hymn that transcends the traditional congregational hymn format. Its familiarity means audiences settle into the music immediately, allowing you to invest rehearsal time in the musical details that make this particular arrangement sing rather than fighting recognition or learning curves.

Skills your students will build

  • Singing harmony parts from a single melodic gesture (SAB voicing demands clarity about which line carries primary pitch information)
  • Maintaining harmonic independence while blending into unified sonority
  • Stylistic phrasing in hymnic music (where breath placement and phrase shape matter more than dynamic variety)
  • Intonation in thirds and sixths across voice parts

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