Gail Luley

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"Love's Almighty Power" is a hymn or anthem with lyrics inspired by Matthew 20: 1-16, the text for the 17th Sunday after Pentecost in the Lectionary, Year A. These verses tell the parable of the laborers with the famous message, "the last shall be first and the first shall be last." The music is scored for SATB with organ accompaniment but could be sung in unison.

Love's Almighty Power

SATB/Unison Full Score

"Fields of Compassion" is an original choral composition scored for SATB choir with organ accompaniment. 
The sacred text is inspired by 2 Corinthians 1: 3-7. 
It depicts God's compassion for humankind as a field with flowers of comfort and points to the freedom and hope Christ offers.

Fields of Compassion

SATB Full Score

Music and Performance Notes
"The Advent" sets a poem by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) to music. The poet asks us to recognize that God comes to us and is present in everything around us, in the things we see, experience and feel. God ever comes and touches us with joy. We recognize God in our songs, in our moods, in sorrow, in joy, in our daily lives.

This music is scored for SATB choir and viola. If a violist is not available, a violin can substitute. A piano reduction of the choral parts can be used just for rehearsal, or also in the performance if necessary. If no string player is available, the pipe organ can be used for the string part.

Note on the text
Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter during the age of Bengal Renaissance. He reshaped Bengali literature and music as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Author of the "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful" poetry of "Gitanjali," he became in 1913 the first non-European and the first lyricist to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The Poem
Song Offering/Gitanjali 45

Have you not heard his silent steps?
He comes, comes, ever comes.
Every moment and every age, every day and every
night he comes, comes, ever comes.
Many a song have I sung in many a mood of mind,
but all their notes have always proclaimed,
"He comes, comes, ever comes."
In the fragrant days of sunny April through the forest
path he comes, comes, ever comes.
In the rainy gloom of July nights on the thundering
chariot of clouds he comes, comes, ever comes.
In sorrow after sorrow, it is his steps that press upon my heart,
and it is the golden touch of his feet that makes my joy to shine.
Rabindranath Tagore

The Advent

"Even Such is Time" sets the poem by Sir Walter Ralegh to original music. The choral composition is scored for organ and SATB. Scholars think it is possible that Ralegh wrote this poem shortly before he was executed in 1618, but no knows for sure. The poem begins in despair stating the tension between life and death, but ends with a message of hope, trust and faith. The music reflects these two emotions.

Even Such is Time

“Women of God” is scored for SATB choir, flute and 2 percussion parts. The original text is inspired by Genesis 1:27, Ephesians 2:10, Genesis 16:13, John 8:7 and Isaiah 62. This anthem celebrates significant Biblical women in Scripture and how they point us to the love of the One who sees and knows all creation.

Women of God

"The House of Christmas" is an original musical setting of the poem by G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936).  With this poem, Chesterton claims that only in the "foul stable," and "the crazy stable" where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were homeless, are we truly at home.  (The poet uses the word "men" throughout this poem to refer to all humanity. Because the concept of inclusive language did not exist during the poet's lifetime, and to stay true to the poem, the composer did not adjust the poem's wording to reflect today's language that avoids gender specific words when referring to all humans. The final phrase "all creation" was added by the composer.)

The music is scored for SATB choir with organ accompaniment. Acoustic guitar or piano can play the chords provided in some verses of the score. However, depending on ensemble and instrumental resources, variations for performance can be made. Here are some suggestions:
	Verse 1  is written for two-part voices, with either acoustic guitar or piano playing the chords. The two voice parts can be sung with higher and lower voices, or just higher, just lower voices, or even one or two soloists
	Verse 2  The score provides SATB parts and organ accompaniment. It could also be performed using a unison choir singing the melody found in the soprano line. The 6/8 section of this verse has the tenor and alto voices singing the melody, but again, this could be sung by the entire choir in unison. If so, the organ would play the soprano and bass lines.
	Verse 3  This verse is scored for unison choir and organ accompaniment.
	Verse 4  use the same options as for verse one.
	Verse 5  has the sopranos singing a descant, the altos the melody and tenor and bass voices providing harmony. The organ doubles the voice parts. This verse could be sung in unison, or just with descant and melody.
	Dynamics  have not been provided and can be determined by the conductor, based on the acoustics of the performance setting and the size of the ensemble singing each verse.

The House of Christmas

The text of "We All Believe" is an interpretation of Martin Luther's paraphrase of the Apostles' creed, which he published as the hymn "Wir glauben all an einen Gott". G. Luley sets her text to Luther's tune and adds choral lines to augment it. The anthem is scored for SATB, a cappella.

The restated text is:
We all believe in God, Creator
And in Christ, the world's redeemer
And in the Spirit, ever near, deep inside us, all abiding.
God holds each of our small off'rings, forms them into gifts substantial,
Feeds our bodies and our spirits
sanctions and empowers our giving
God dwells in us, 
Gives us strength and hope
to love each other without fear.

We All Believe

"In the Beginning" is a sacred choral composition in 4 parts, SATB and can be sung a cappella or accompanied. It can be classified as a hymn or anthem. The text is an original paraphrase of Genesis 1 by the composer. The music uses standard harmonic progressions and basic vocal ranges, so is singable for choirs at any level. The text is a contemporary interpretation of the creation story.

In the Beginning

"The Voice of Wisdom" is a sacred anthem scored for choir and a solo voice with organ accompaniment. The solo voice could also be sung by a unison small group. In the measures where voices subdivide (for example measures 8,9), if vocal forces are not available to sing all the pitches in the subdivided chords, sing only the notes in the basic chord. The accompaniment can cover the stacked chords.

Because there are no set beats per measure, it is the pulse that is important. The pulse is set either by quarter notes or half notes as indicated in the score.

The text is taken from Proverbs 1: 20-33, with some paraphrasing by the composer.

The Voice of Wisdom

"The Merchants' Carol" is an arrangement of a Traditional English tune. The poem, by Frank Kendon has been slightly augmented to accommodate musical material added to the tune. The arrangement is scored for SATB and organ. The poem tells the tale of merchants on their way to Jerusalem who encounter the crowds shouting "Hosanna." The merchants deduce a king is passing through and attempt to see him up close. What they saw and heard did not match their expectations.

The Merchants' Carol

Deep and Vast is an anthem scored for two -four parts with organ accompaniment. The text is inspired by Matthew 20: 1-16, the text for the 17th Sunday after Pentecost in the Lectionary, Year A. 

The music, in the Dorian mode is ideally suited for SATB voices, but can be adapted to two parts, high and low. In that case, the organ can play the SATB parts and the ostinato, however possible.
The Text:

Deep and vast, deep and is vast
The last shall be first and the first shall be last
The power of forgiveness is deep and is vast.

The power of God is revealed through the Son
In stories of mercy and steadfast true love.

NOTE: The lines from "Deep and Vast" are taken from they hymn "Love's Almighty Power" by this composer.

Deep and Vast

SATB/Two-Part Full Score

"The Agony of My Heart" is a choral piece scored for SATB voices with organ accompaniment. The text is Jeremiah 4:19-22, in which the prophet Jeremiah laments the sudden catastrophe of Judah being overtaken by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylonia. The civil and religious leaders of Judah never thought God would allow a heathen nation to destroy them. Jeremiah cries out in distress at the scenes of destruction.

The music matches the mood of the text, with the repeated refrain from verse 19" Oh, the agony of my heart."

The text:
Jeremiah 4: 19 -Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry.

Jeremiah 4: 20-Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment.

Jeremiah 4: 21-How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the trumpet?

Jeremiah 4: 22- "My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good."

The Agony of My Heart

"In God's Love" is scored for SATB choir with handbells (E5-A6) or piano. The text combines words from Romans 8:38, 39 and paraphrases by the composer. Variety and texture is created through different time signatures and voice groupings creating a unified musical statement. For more performance details, see the attached document.

" In God's Love" 
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, 
neither angels nor demons, 
neither the present neither the future, 
not any powers, not any height nor depth, 
nothing else in all of creation will separate us from the love of God 
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
Romans 8: 38, 39 

Neither death nor life nor angels 
Neither demons nor the present, 
Nor the future 
Will isolate us from God's love 

Not our triumphs, not our failures, 
Nor our firmness, nor our weakness, 
Limitations. 
Close the channel to God's love 

We are not alone, deserted, 
Even when despair surrounds us 
Never helpless 
As we walk through life with God's love. 

For I am convinced, I am convinced 
We are enfolded, we are embraced 
Forevermore in the arms of God's unending love, 
infinite love. 

@ Gail M. Luley 2022

In God's Love

"Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands" is an arrangement of Martin Luther's text set to the 16th century tune with which it is associated. It is scored for SATB or SSAATB, depending on the choir's resources. It can be sung a cappella or doubled with keyboard.

This arrangement uses J.S. Bach's harmonic structure of a 16th century tune. In verse 1, the soprano and altos sing the melody over open chords sung by the tenors and basses. Verse 2 alternates this treatment. Verse 3 places the melody in the second soprano and first alto parts, while the other voice parts round out the harmony.

The text by Martin Luther moves from bondage to freedom, from darkness to light, from death to life. The melody, as set by Luther, with help from Johann Walther has strong connections to the famous Easter chants Victimae Paschali Laude and Christ ist Erstanden. Luther and Walther transformed elements from these chants to produce the hymn "Christ Lag in Todesbanden," which was published in 1524. Various composers, including Pachelbel, Bach and Telemann have used this hymn in their compositions.

Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bonds Performance Notes

1.	The organ accompaniment is optional. If using it should support, not dominate.
2.	The Soprano/Alto divisi in verse 3 creates three voice parts. 
a.	    The melody is found in the 2nd soprano and 1st alto voices. 
b.	    Adjust the number of singers in each section per part according to your resources,

Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bonds

"Prayer for a Bold January" sets an original poem to music. The piece is scored for SATB choir with piano accompaniment, but could be performed using a variety of methods, depending on the resources available. If not performed in January, the subtitle of "Winter Prayer" could be used.

The composer makes the following suggestions:

1.	Solo voices with unison choir:
a.	Measures 1-39 are sung by 2 solo voices with piano accompaniment. 
b.	Measures 40-48 are sung by a unison choir, using SATB harmony as the piano accompaniment.
c.	Measures 49-54 are sung by the choir, divided into 2 parts, using the piano accompaniment from measures 33-39.
d.	Measures 55 to the end are sung by the unison choir, accompanied by the piano playing the SATB parts.
2.	2-part choir, upper and lower voices, or 2-part upper or 2-part lower:
a.	The upper part is scored using treble clef and the lower part using bass clef. (The tenor part uses traditional scoring of treble clef, voiced an octave lower, thus the 8va marking  )
b.	Regardless of how voices are split, the piano accompanies using the same method as in suggestion #1.
3.	A cappella choir:
a.	The entire piece is sung without accompaniment, voices singing their parts as scored.

"Prayer for a Bold January"
 
Lord,
 in the midst of snow white, bone deep cold
lead me to your word
when I would rather hide
inside, under the covers, in the comforts of my own convictions
 
show me the world
as it is
through words from 
all those
with a story to tell
 
let me hear 
the voices the powerful
seek to stamp out
 
those that cause discomfort
that burden us 
with the reality of
our sinful state
 
lead me to listen
teach me to serve
 
In your name, I pray
Amen.

 Emily Hauser Pukuma 2025

Prayer for a Bold January

Ensemble

"Set Me As a Seal" is a sacred composition scored for bass or baritone soloist and violin. It is ideal as a short solo for a wedding ceremony. The text is from the biblical book Song of Solomon, which describes the strength of love. The song's speaker asks that their love place a seal  a precious sign of love  upon each of their hearts, signifying commitment and value of this love. The soloist could sing the lines unaccompanied, but the violin part adds flair and a beautiful counterpart to the singer's melodic declaration.

Set Me As A Seal

Medium Low Solo

This anthem, scored for SATB and piano sets the poem by Emily Dickinson to music. Dickinson's poem presents humanity's hunger to know the truth about the existence of an afterlife. Many people believe, but also doubt that something exists beyond death, invisible as music, but just as real as sound. This "other world" invites us to come closer, but confounds us, leading to the tension between faith and doubt. Faith stumbles, and no drug can numb the toothache of doubt. The anthem ends as it begins, with the conviction, the faith, that our time on earth isn't all there is. 

The piano accompaniment can serve however needed, just for rehearsal purposes, or when and where it might be needed during a performance.

This World is Not Conclusion

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