This Is A Day For Rising: SATB Choral Octavo

Martin writes Easter music that avoids overwrought sentimentality while delivering genuine emotional lift. The text and melody work in concert here, with the harmonic language supporting a sense of hope and renewal that feels earned rather than imposed, making it something your singers will connect to authentically.

The piece radiates quiet confidence rather than bombast, with melodic lines that climb toward resolution and harmonic progressions that feel purposeful. There is brightness here, but it arrives earned and grounded, reflecting both reverence and genuine joy.

SATB choirs preparing Easter programming, from volunteer church choirs to more experienced collegiate or high school ensemble. The ten-page score is substantial enough to warrant serious rehearsal time while remaining accessible to groups without extensive sight-reading prowess.

• Establish a clear tempo during the opening section; the text will naturally breathe if you resist the urge to linger over sustained notes
• Balance soprano and alto lines carefully in passages where they diverge, ensuring neither voice becomes buried under the tenor and bass foundation
• Shape the dynamic arc by tracking the emotional progression of the text rather than marking literal dynamic indications, allowing the meaning to guide your interpretation
• Rehearse accompanied parts with the piano reduction early to secure intonation and part independence before addressing diction and expression

Program this as the emotional anchor of your Easter service or concert, possibly paired with a shorter processional or introit that complements its reflective opening. It also works well as a closing anthem when the liturgy or program calls for something that sends listeners out with uplift rather than merely concluding with spectacle.

• Sustaining vocal tone across longer phrases without pitch drift
• Balancing four-part harmonic texture with attention to vertical alignment
• Interpreting text expression through dynamic shaping and phrasing
• Reading and performing a complete anthem-length work from score