In 1991 or so, I did this piece with a girls’ choir, and it was absolutely gorgeous, but my Google-fu is weak today. It was four or maybe even six part harmony, and some of the lyrics in my 15 year old memory go something like:
In the silence of the world oh Lord we contemplate thy peace
[something, something, something]
O, Lord
Our God
Glory, Praise and Honor be always thine
[yadda, yadda yadda]
And the end was this exquisite arangements of alleluia’s in the various parts that are usually strings.
The part that plays at that link has actual words to it in the version I’m looking for. The “Alleluias” are only at the end. Also, at the alleluia part, the voice lines aren’t in unison rythmically - the sopranos are doing the high string part with quick alleluias, there are a couple of middle lines doing different stuff, with altos doing fairly slow alleluias down at the bottom and everyone is sort of weaving notes around one another with this really neat descant on top, almost madrigal style.
I’m sorry, I’m not describing it very well, and there must be hundreds of versions of this song, so I don’t hold much hope for finding that one particular arrangement. But you never know with Dopers, right?
Here is the backstory for the lyric, and the full lyric, if you are referring to the version sung at the beginning of the motion picture “Ordinary People” to the tune of Canon in D in 1980.
The choral arrangement of this famous canon was created by the Flemish-American church musician Noel Goemanne at the suggestion of a member of his choir and was subsequently taken up for performance in the 1980 film “Ordinary People”. …
lyrics
In the silence of our souls O Lord,
we contemplate Thy peace
Free from all the world’s desires
Free from fear and all anxiety
Oh Lord, Oh God, Wisdom joy and peace and love divine
Oh Lord, Oh God, Glory praise and honour be always thine
Oh dearest Lord come to us now
Have mercy on us, stay with us and protect us all
Oh Lord, our God, wisdom truth and love and peace and joy
Oh Lord our king, thy praises we will always sing
Alleluya
Welcome, @nomanisan ! We’re always happy to see old questions answered, though @WhyNot hasn’t been seen around here in many years. But who knows, maybe your response will prompt her to come back?