Glory
A Christmas anthem for mixed chorus and orchestra adapted from the second chapter of Luke. Glory is excerpted from Shepherd Story.
Duration: 4' 15”
Difficulty: 4/5 (Difficulty Rating Overview)
Listen on YouTube
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VOICES
Mixed Chorus (divisi, no solos)
(Glory may optionally be performed with Piano)
ORCHESTRA
2 Flutes
1 Oboe (doubling English horn)
2 Clarinets in B♭
2 Bassoons
2 Horns in F
2 Trumpets in B♭
Tenor Trombone
Bass Trombone
Percussion (3 players)
Timpani
Bass Drum
Suspended Cymbals
Piatti
Finger Cymbals
Triangle
Vibraphone
Song Bells
Glockenspiel
Chimes (Tubular Bells)
Harp
Strings
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Glory
adapted by J.A.C. Redford (1953- )
Glory to God in the highest
Glory to God on high
Glory to God in the highest
Glory to God on high
And on earth, peace, peace to men of good will
And on earth, peace to men of good will
Glory to God in the highest
And on earth, peace to men on whom his favor rests
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven
The shepherds said to one another
"Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing
Which the Lord has told us about"
So they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph
And the baby lying in a manger
And when they had seen him they spread the word
Telling all they had heard about this child
Glory to God in the highest
Glory to God on high
Glory to God in the highest
Glory to God on high
And on earth, peace, peace to men of good will
And on earth, peace to men of good will
Glory to God in the highest
Glory to God, glory to God
Glory to God on high!
And all who heard it wondered
And all who heard it were amazed
And all who heard it were astonished
At what the shepherds said
And the shepherds returned, praising God
For all they had heard and seen
And the shepherds returned, glorifying God
For it all had been just as was told them
Glory to God in the highest
Glory to God on high
Glory to God in the highest
Glory to God on high
And on earth, peace, peace to men of good will
And on earth, peace to men of good will
Glory to God in the highest
Glory to God, glory to God
Glory to God on high!
Copyright ©1995 by J.A.C. Redford. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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PUBLISHER’S NOTES
Mark Foster (Hal Leonard)
Here is set the traditional text from Luke with a joyous and energetic musical vocabulary that will challenge the best collegiate and professional choirs.
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Glory is excerpted from Shepherd Story, which was commissioned by the Utah Chamber Artists and premiered on December 4, 1995 at the 1st Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City by the Utah Chamber Artists with Barlow Bradford conducting.
Shepherd Story was recorded by the Utah Chamber Artists for the album Welcome All Wonders: A Christmas Celebration (Bonneville Classics BCD 9501-2). The recording of Shepherd Story was broadcast nationwide in December 1996 over NPR affiliated stations on the syndicated program The First Art.
Shepherd Story has since been performed by numerous choruses and orchestras across the United States, including a performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on December 15, 2002 by the Los Angeles Master Chorale under the direction of Grant Gershon.
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“J.A.C. Redford provides the sumptuous conclusion to this album with his Shepherd Story. Here is an inventive recounting of the birth of Jesus, with texts adapted and written by the composer. The style is contemporary, scored with a cleverly popular edge, bearing sophistication and childlike wonder in perfect balance.” (Peter Rutenberg (Liner Notes from Utah Chamber Artists 1995 CD Welcome All Wonders)