Nicholas White: In Sure and Certain Hope

In Sure and Certain Hope was written in 2006, and dedicated to several family members who died during the last two years. Although the bulk of the musical material is newly composed, the work also draws on existing compositions written during the last decade, reworking, and hopefully improving on those pieces to incorporate them into this larger scale offering. The text is from the prayers, psalms and scripture passages in the Burial Office, and is framed by the Requiem aeternam text from the Missa pro defunctis. Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis was written for the boy choristers of Washington National Cathedral (Douglas Major, Organist and Choirmaster), where I was Assistant Organist and Choirmaster from 1994-1998. For this recording it is performed as a soprano duet, with the original organ part arranged for strings. The two spiritual arrangements are the earliest works on this program. Steal Away was written for the choir of First United Methodist Church, Lubbock, Texas (Gordon McMillan, Minister of Music), where I was Guest Artist-in-Residence from 1989-1990; and There is a Balm in Gilead was written for the Chanters of McMurry University, Abilene, Texas, where I was Director of Choral Studies from 1992-1994. My setting of the 14th century hymn Ave verum corpus is dedicated to H. Deane Pierce of Lubbock, Texas, a longtime member of the Chancel Choir of First United Methodist Church, who graciously provided accommodation for me during my stay in that fair city. The Altar was commissioned by Joyce Michelini, in honor of her father Marc, who was celebrating fifty years as Verger of The Church of the Advent, Boston, Massachusetts. The piece was premiered by the superb choir of Church of the Advent, under the direction of Dr. Edith Ho. The second setting of the two George Herbert poems was commissioned earlier this year by the choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati, Ohio, in honor of their Organist and Choirmaster, Ernie Hoffmann. Although the pieces were written alm