O Ye That Love the Lord

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) was a noted Afro-English composer whose works thrived mostly around the decades surrounding the turn of the 20th century. Born and raised near London, he was educated at the Royal College of Music, studying composition with Charles Villiers Stanford. Conscious of his African descent, Taylor's classical compositions were heavily influenced by traditional African music and this made him one of the most progressive writers of his time. He composed nearly 100 works in his short life ranging from cantatas, an opera, a symphony, a notable violin concerto and sonata, orchestral suites, theater scores, songs, chamber music, and salon music. His best known work is Scenes from The Song of Hiawatha, a trilogy of compositions for chorus and orchestra; the writing was largely influenced by the poem of the same name by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Published in 1892, O Ye That Love the Lord was originally scored for choir and organ. The piece is a short anthem based on Psalm 97:10, which exhorts the believer to hate what is evil. For me, transcribing this piece meant having the opportunity to give further voice to Coleridge-Taylor as both an influential human and genius musician. It is my hope that performers and listeners alike are inspired by this work and the legacy of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor