ETERNAL LIGHT (2024)
For SATB choir with divisi (3')
Description:
Modern, bold, and dare I say... luminous?
Written for Josh Wang and the choir of Good Shepherd Catholic Church (Golden Valley, MN), Eternal Light sets a meditative prayer by Alcuin of York, asking for deliverance, mercy, and illumination in the darkness of our hearts. Built around a sequence of perfect fifths—music’s most stable and radiant interval—the piece uses bright, modal harmonies and text painting to reflect the hope and clarity found in the text.
Intended for church choirs with limited rehearsal time, the work features minimal divisi, a flowing, singable structure, and harmonies that feel fresh without being difficult. A versatile choice for All Saints, memorial services, or any liturgy focused on light, mercy, and renewal.
Text:
Eternal Light, shine into our hearts.
Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil.
Eternal Power, be our support.
Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance.
Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us.
That we may seek Your face
With all our heart and mind and soul and strength.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
-Alcuin of York (c. 735–804)
