Text: Book of Common Prayer
Music: Wendell David Glick
Performance: Wendell Nisly and Oasis Chorale
This unaccompanied setting of the traditional Te Deum from the Book of Common Prayer includes the primary portions of the text (excluding some additional text that is optional in some liturgical traditions) in a single stand-alone choral work, ideal for use as a concert piece or for use in worship services. The interchange between the dynamic and static statements of faith, along with the alto and tenor soli interjections, puts a fresh face on an ancient text that your choir will love! Scores/downloads are available at www.jwpepper.com/11602937.item or directly from the composer.
Te Deum Laudamus ("Thee, God, we praise") is an early Latin Christian hymn, sometimes known as the Ambrosian hymn due to its association with the Ambrosian hymnal. Its authorship is uncertain and possibly dates as early as the 4th century. It is a declaration of faith that follows the outline of the Apostles' Creed, mixing poetic declarations of worship with specific confessions of the historic Christian faith. It was loosely translated into the 18th-century German hymn "Groer Gott, wir loben dich," which was later translated into English as "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name."
This setting of Te Deum Laudamus was commissioned by the Arlyn and Brenda Nisly family of Reno County, Kansas, to be premiered by Oasis Chorale under the leadership of Wendell Nisly, Arlyn's brother. It was premiered in July 2024 and recorded and released on Oasis Chorale's 2024 album "Radiant Dawn," available at www.oasischorale.org/recordings/radiant-dawn/ and on various music streaming platforms including Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, and TH-cam Music.