Hymn of Promise - The Music of Don Freund

IX
Title: Hymn of Promise
Two - Mixed or Treble Voices with Piano Accompaniment
Composer: Natalie Sleeth
Text: Natalie Sleeth
Publisher: Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, IL 60188
Background Information:
From www. cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/y/hymnprom.htm: Natalie Sleeth (1930-1992) wrote
this hymn in 1985 as a choral anthem, and later adapted it as a hymn. She writes that she
was “…pondering death of a friend (life, death and resurrection), pondering winter and
spring (seeming opposites), and a T.S. Eliot poem which had the phrase, ‘in our end is
our beginning.’ These seemingly contradictory ‘pairs’ led to the thesis of the song and the
hopeful message that out of one will come the other whenever God chooses to bring that
about.”
Sleeth was born in Evanston, Illinois and began studying the piano at the age of four. She
graduated from Wellesley College in 1952 with a BA in Music Theory. An organist, she
wrote over 180 selections for church and school.
From Sandra Freund: This song has been recorded by the St. Charles Choir, Sandra
Freund conducting, and can be ordered at sandrarfreund@gmail.com.
Musical Elements:
Meter: 3/4
Tempo: ∂ = c.88
Form: Strophic: Piano Intro, v.1: A (a b) B (a b), C (a b), D (a b), piano interlude,
v.2: form repeats, piano interlude v.3: Descant is added to previous form, Coda
with piano ending.
Tonality: F Major
Phrasing and Harmony: Marked in the score
Dynamics: p, mp, mf, f
Vocal Technique Elements:
Range: c – f1
Tessitura: g- d1
Pitch set: Melody - F do: S1 L1 T1 D R M F S L T D1
Rhythm: ç, ∂, Î, ß, Í, ti-ti tam ti patterns repeated in ABC and D
Harmony: Voices perform descant and 2-part harmony while piano provides
traditional harmonic accompaniment
Text: Inspiring verse about new beginnings.
Elements Related to Teaching:
Appropriate Grade Level: 5th - Adult
Difficult Sections: Tuning of descant, especially in mm.63-64: d f1 r1 d, and mm. 6768: m s l l t t l, the 2- part harmony: beginning mm.73, and the 3-part Coda.
Possible Teaching sequence:
Objective: To perform Hymn of Promise with beautiful legato phrasing and
emphasis on good diction.
Warm-up activities: use of rhythmic pattern ti-ti tam –ti ti -ti and F major patterns
sol-fa patterns used in piece including: s1 s1 t, s1 s1 d, s1 s1 r, s1 s1 m, s1 s1 f.
Motivation: Teacher sings melody and asks students to listen for signs of spring in
the text. Discuss symbolism of spring: re-birth, awakening, and resurrection.
Procedure: Students find examples of ti-ti tam –ti ti -ti rhythm patterns in score.
Individually perform. Have s1 s1 d, s1 s1 r, s1 s1 m, s1s1 f patterns scrambled on
board. Students find correct order in score. Students then sing beginning of
ABCD teacher continues in sol-fa. Sing phrases on neutral vowel. Speak words
sustaining vowel’s in bu----lb, flo----wer, co-coo----ns, etc. Teacher adds descant
on third verse. All students read descant part from teacher’s hand signs using solfa. Read from overhead with some sol-fa marked in score. Read from score with
neutral syllables. Add text. When secure teacher adds melody while students sing
descant, then switch. Repeat process for Coda, adding exercises with thirds.
Allow 4-6 15-minute rehearsals to learn.