All Creatures of Our God and King

cathedral windowThe title in the New Century Hymnal is To You, O god, All Creatures Sing, #17. It has 6 verses. The only representative texts I could find only have only have 5, so when/if you sing along, and I hope you do, you’ll have to improvise that final verse!

The descant I use on verse 4 is the one given in the NCH. I don’t mind using my own descants, but I also like to use given ones because they become favorite, personal pleasures of soprano and tenor members of the congregation…so why deprive them of their guilty pleasures–indulge, indulge!

In verse 6 I put the tune in the pedals and inverted the counterpoint in the hands. The harmonization of this magnificent tune, is of course, by Ralph Vaughn Williams.

Author: Hilton Kean Jones

Composer and performer, retired college music professor, lyricist.

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