Name: The Virgin Today by Andrew Kercher
Duration: 3 min 8 s
Description: This Greek hymn translated to English is attributed to St Romanos the Melodist, who was basically a failure in his Byzantine Great Church. Until he received this beautiful kontakion by some miraculous inspiration for the Nativity liturgy in about the 5th century.

A epithalamium in the Kievan Tone 5 version of the hymn “Dance of Isaiah,” sung at Orthodox Weddings (Holy Matrimony) and Archepiscopal ordinations of clergy (Holy Orders)

Rejoice O Isaiah (Kievan Tone 5 Troparion) with Ison/drone and harmony

This Greek hymn translated to English is attributed to St Romanos the Melodist, who was basically a failure in his Byzantine Great Church. Until he received this beautiful kontakion by some miraculous inspiration for the Nativity liturgy in about the 5th century.

The Virgin Today

Copyright 2021 Andrew D. R. Kercher. I wrote this in Colorado Springs, listening to Rev Dwight Brown preach on Ephesians at Front Range Alliance Church; probably my 3rd of many hymns. 

Words by Andrew Kercher (Copyright 1999), Music by David Austin (Copyright 2000), based on the Apostle Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, chapter 2. I call the tune NEVERENDING PRAISES. David also did the first recording of this song on his bluegrass/country gospel album "Journey in Faith" (2004). I sat down with our music and plotted out the notes in Finale music software and dropped it into GarageBand and recorded myself doing all the choral parts.

Let Never Ending Praises Ring (based on Ephesians 2) by A. D. R. Kercher & D. Austin

Known to family and old friends as “Andy,” he prefers his Christian name. Andrew received the Master of Education in arts instruction from Doane University in Lincoln, Nebraska, holds the Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio and graphic arts, and is a Bachelor of Arts in biblical literature, a lifelong Bible student and Christian disciple. Tonsured in the Eastern Orthodox Church a reader (anagnostis, or lector), he has written several hymns and served periodically as psaltis (cantor), small choir ensemble director, choir member, and worship leader in Orthodox, evangelical, and Anglican churches going on four decades. He began writing several religious poems and hymns in 1997 in the midst of an existential quest from his Baptist upbringing to the liturgical traditions of the ancient Christian faith. His interests in a variety of musical styles and periods, and his love of ethnic and indigenous cultural music expressions gives him a unique perspective on music, particularly as used in the American churches and pop culture of his own checkered story. He is an amateur autodidact who prefers assistance from trained or fellow amateur musicians. He resides in Massachusetts and is father of two adult children.

The Virgin Today

Andrew Kercher

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