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O Love
for ssaa chorus
1/12
Description
“O Love” was inspired by the words of Scottish minister, George Matheson in 1882. When he was blinded at the age of nineteen, his fiancé called off their engagement and his sister cared for him as he endured new challenges. Years later, on the eve of his sister’s wedding, he faced the painful reminder of his own heartache and loss as he penned the words to this hymn. Given a fresh melody, this setting for SATB choir (and optional cello) uses hopeful ascending lines representing renewed faith. Though lingering dissonances remind us of past heartache, the beautiful promise remains: “morn shall tearless be.”
the Inspiration
Text
O Love that will not let me go
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thy ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O Joy that seeks me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That mom shall tearless be.
- George Matheson
Composer Notes
“O Love” was inspired by the words of Scottish minister, George Matheson in 1882. Blinded at the age of nineteen, his fiancé called off their engagement and years later, as he remembered his heartache and loss, he penned the words to this hymn. My setting has given his words a fresh melody, which uses hopeful ascending lines representing renewed faith. Even though there are lingering dissonances, they remind us of past heartache, the beautiful promise remains: “morn shall tearless be.”
“...That morn shall tearless be.”
- George Matheson
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