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. 67-

68: 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 sol-

fa. 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.