A meditation on the chant of the day for October 14, 2025, Beatus Servus is written for SATB voicing with divisi up to eight parts. Written for the Jesse Kaiser Ensemble based in Columbia, South Carolina.

Beatus Servus (2025)

(Englisches Weihnachtslied)
William Hayman Cummings (1831 - 1915)
Arr.: Ernest Heyman.
Erhältlich für Männerchor TTBB o. TTB, Frauen- oder Jugendchor SSA, Kinderchor SA und Gemischten Chor SATB o. SAM!
© 2025 by j.b.music Musikverlag, Hilchenbach
Shop: www.jbmusic-musikverlag.de

Hark! The Herald Angels sing (Gemischter Chor SATB)

Vrijheid '25

This piece is the third song of Christ Our Saviour - Christmas Carols. The text is based on a 15th-century English carol with some adaptations. The text interweaves a narrator's voice with that of Mary, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus' birth. Mary's gentle lullaby responds to the narrative with overflowing love for the newborn Christ. Text follows:

Lullay, My Liking
(Modern English version)

Verse 1
I saw a fair maiden sit and sing,
She lulled a little child, a sweet young King.

Lullay, lullay, my dear Son, my liking,
Lullay, lullay, my dear heart, my darling
My own sweet darling.


Verse 2
That very Lord is He who made all things,
Of all lords He is Lord, of all kings He is King.

Lullay, lullay, my dear Son, my liking,
Lullay, lullay, my dear heart, my darling
My own sweet darling.

Verse 3
There was much melody at that Child’s birth,
All who dwell in Heaven made great mirth.

Lullay, lullay, lullay, lullay.
My dear Son, my dear heart.

Verse 4
Angels bright sang through the night,
And said to that Child: “Blessed be Thou”

O Light of Light, blessed be Thou.
O Light of Light, the world’s true Light.

Lullay, lullay, lullay, lullay. 
Hope is born to end the night.

(Hum)
My own sweet darling.

Photo credit: Luna Wang on Unsplash

Lullay, My Liking

Two Songs from Porgy and Bess
2 songs from George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess (1934). These are It Ain’t Necessarily So, a very popular song sung by Sportin’ Life, a drug dealer presenting his cynical views on the Bible, and I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’ in which Porgy sings about his poverty with a happy-go-lucky outlook on life. Skillfully arranged by master arranger Johan de Meij.

https://www.molenaar.com/details/1/11221/en

Two Songs From Porgy And Bess (arr. Johan de Meij) - George Gershwin

Sängergruß "O Lied, kling' auf"
Musik: Traditional
Text u. Arr.: Ernest Heyman

Sängergruß "Ein Hoch auf den Gesang"
Musik: Traditional
Text u. Arr.: Ernest Heyman
für Gemischten Chor SATB

© 2025 by j.b.music Musikverlag, Hilchenbach
Shop: www.jbmusic-musikverlag.de

Sängergruß "O Lied, kling' auf" und "Ein Hoch auf den Gesang" (Gemischter Chor SATB)

Text by Isaac Watts. Premiered on September 21st 2025 by the parish choir at St Stephen's Episcopal Church in Middlebury, Vermont under the direction of Robert Ludwig.
This recording is from November 23rd 2025 at Old North Church in Boston under Dr. Libor Dudas.

Thy Ways Abound

A capella (SATB) with male vocalist singing a song intended to encourage a world-weary individual who gives their all, even to the point of losing themselves.

Lyrics by Mark Bloss

You carry the world in silence,
turning storms into quiet stars.
I’ve seen how you hold the darkness,
until it learns who you are. 

 
You give without warning,
you fade to the side.
But even the shadows
lean to your light. 

You’re not alone in this,
even the night knows your name.
When the sky forgets your voice,
I’ll sing it back again.
You’ve walked through fire before,
you still glow inside.
You’ll find your way
through your own light. 

You dream in the deepest colors,
you love like a quiet flame.
The world can be heavy armor
on a heart that feels this way. 
   
You don’t have to shine for me,
you already do.
Close your eyes, rest easy now,
I’ll keep watch for you. 

You’re not alone in this,
even the night knows your name.
When the stars grow dim above,
I’ll call you just the same.
You’ve walked through fire before,
and still you rise.
You’ll find your way
through your own light.

Through your own Light

The original text for Panis Angelicus was written by St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th Century, as part of his larger hymn Sacris Solemniis. 

English Translation:

1. The Bread of Angels becomes Bread of men;
the heavenly Bread puts an end to figures.
O thing most wonderful!
the poor and humble servant eats the Lord.

2. We ask You, O God Three and One,
to visit us just as we celebrate You;
along Your paths, lead us to where we are headed,
to the light where You dwell.

Panis Angelicus (Lambillotte) SATB Acapella | Project Adoro Te

Forgotten Mausoleum

Molenaar Edition is a publisher of sheet music for Concert Band, Fanfare and Brass Band. Molenaar Edition also has its own CD label, MBCD, that releases 3 to 4 CDs , a year.

The company was founded in 1933 by Pieter Jan Molenaar under the name Molenaar’s Muziekhandel. In the 1970s, his sons Jan and Bob joined the growing company. The name was changed to Molenaar’s Muziekcentrale, and later to Molenaar Edition BV.

New England-based composer, conductor, and vocalist. They/he. alexandervansant.com

Sacred Music: the Handmaid of the Liturgy
Drawing hearts closer to Christ through the revival of sacred music. 
📍St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Kogarah | Sun 6:30pm Mass

I write music for church choirs and musicians, using texts from old hymns or directly adapted from the Bible. All the songs posted here are set for SATB choir and piano, with the exception of a couple of duets. To preview sheet music, click on "Buy." You will be redirected to Sheet Music Plus. My latest songs, however, are not available there. Please email me at bellawumusic@gmail.com for purchasing details. 我寫教會詩班適用的合唱曲。在這網頁上你所聽到的詩歌，有些有中文翻譯版。在不久的將來也會把我其他中文詩歌上載。若有興趣購買，請與我聯絡。 bellawumusic@gmail.com

Composing 50 years.  You will find every genre here.

A note about AI assist:

Regarding all my instrumentals, I composed the original works and possess the original manuscripts.  

My compositions are the source material, and for AI assist where used, I create the prompts and style instructions (which is time consuming and require hours of trial and error) at suno.com to produce the final version of the works which I feel are best. What you hear finally is at times the best of perhaps dozens of variations after much work is put in to produce the final outcome.  I try to find the right balance between what I composed originally, and what I envision is perhaps a better result with the assistance of AI.  I also aim for a realistic reproduction should live performance ever be a consideration.

For songs with Lyrics, I am the lyricist in every case, and the music is built from AI where I provide specific instructions as to style, genre, tone, key, and so forth. 

Some tracks are exceptions to the above descriptive process, and when this occurs that track itself will include how the track was developed in its description.

Singer-Songwriter - Home recordings - vocal coach - popchoir conductor - mantra singing - music therapy 

New tracks tagged #SATB