Patti Drennan shaped choral music education across Oklahoma for nearly three decades, directing four consistently superior-rated choirs at Norman High School while also teaching at West Mid-High School, where she earned Teacher of the Year honors. The Oklahoma Choral Directors Association recognized her decades of excellence with the Director of Distinction Award in 2004.
Since retiring from the classroom, Drennan has become one of the most prolific choral arrangers in American music education, with over 425 published octavos and two million copies in circulation. Her work as a clinician, adjudicator, and composer weekend leader has taken her across 19 states, Canada, and Carnegie Hall. She continues composing, arranging, and performing, including collaborative recording projects with her daughter, a musical theater performer in New York.
Why we love this
Drennan brings the careful touch of a master educator to this beloved hymn, creating an arrangement that lets the spiritual weight of the text breathe without overwhelming your singers. The five-page score sits comfortably within the range of developing choirs while offering enough harmonic interest to engage advanced groups.
What to expect
The music carries the tender reverence of a hymn while maintaining lyrical grace in its four-part writing. There is clarity in the voice leading and genuine warmth in how the parts fit together, creating an accessible yet moving sacred work.
Who it's for
This arrangement serves choirs of intermediate to advanced ability in both school and church settings. It works equally well for choirs with solid musical fundamentals and groups looking to deepen their sacred repertoire without excessive technical demands.
How to get the most out of it
Shape the phrase arc by treating each verse as a narrative moment rather than a repetition; the text deserves fresh emotional coloring each time through
Balance the parts so the melody remains audible without requiring sopranos to push; let the alto and tenor lines support rather than compete
Allow space in the accompaniment to let voices settle, especially on sustained moments where the harmonic language needs room to resonate
How to use it
Slot this into spring or fall concerts that center on sacred or spiritual themes, or use it as a thoughtful closer to a program mixing secular and sacred works. It also serves well for church services, school assemblies, or community worship events where the hymn's familiar text connects with audiences across musical backgrounds.
Skills your students will build
Balancing four independent melodic lines without doubling
Shaping long-lined phrases in sacred music
Maintaining textual clarity across harmonic changes
Singing sustained notes with consistent tone quality
Understanding hymn text and its relationship to musical phrasing
You May Also Like
Scan to Complete Your Purchase
Use your phone's camera to scan the code below
You'll log in on your phone and the order will be added to your account
