a Psalm and Psalm-tone Paraphrase,
with guitar
Text:
Antiphon/Refrain:
This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.Leader(s):
People, let us give our thanks to God, whose love_ goes, always, on....Antiphon
Leader(s):
From my depths before, God set me free. With God to help, who could harm me?
Foes, once swarming thick as bees, are gone. God_ is_ my strength, my song.Antiphon
Leader(s):
I'll not die, but I will live, and tell of the goodness that our God gives.
Gates of righteousness I will pass through. "God," I say, "salvation is in you."Antiphon
Leader(s):
Now the building stone that was cast aside_ is, as cornerstone, established—
God works marvels before our eyes!Antiphon
Leader(s):
You're my God. Lord, thank you for your love enduring evermore.
Psalm 118 appears in the Revised Common Lectionary for the Sundays around Easter, including Palm Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter, Year C, and Easter Sunday itself. This paraphrased version can be enlivened with guitar strumming and percussion on the antiphon, or can be quieter to suit the more individual nature of the Second Sunday of Easter, Year C. The piece may be resonant for personal devotion, too.
Computer audio with clarinet on verses
and flute (8va) on antiphon:
(Percussion like shaker, conga, etc. can energize antiphons even more for Easter.)
Musical Details:
This piece has a recurring antiphon which can be sung by a unison choir and/or the congregation. The verses can be provided by a cantor or small, unison choir. Or, it can be a solo. You decide.
There are a lot of written and unwritten key changes to provide lifts in this piece, although the antiphon actually remains constant. Because of the key changes, however, we suggest supporting the antiphon with practiced singers or a melody instrument. (Parts for flute or a Bb instrument are above.) Slowing the tempo a bit at the breaks between sections can also help singers adapt to the key changes.
We are supplying a hymnsheet designed for the congregation, to help reinforce the words of the text, as well as to support possible singing.
There is presently no full piano version for this, but some pianists play beautifully from a lead sheet!
