Of Mercy and Judgment
An anthem for choir with piano accompaniment.
Duration: 4' 30"
Difficulty: 3/5 (Difficulty Rating Overview)
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Mixed Chorus (divisi, no solos)
Piano
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Psalm 101:1–4 (KJV)
I will sing of mercy and judgment:
unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way.
O when wilt thou come unto me?
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes;
I hate the work of them that turn aside;
it shall not cleave to me.
A froward heart shall depart from me:
I will not know a wicked person.
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PROGRAM NOTES
J.A.C. Redford
Of Mercy and Judgment is a setting of Psalm 101:1-4 which addresses tensions between the longing for both moral perfection and the unforced grace of divine presence in relationship with God. The music underscores the psalmist’s striving for righteousness, expressed in mounting declarations of fidelity to “the perfect way.” Yet these declarations have failed – God has not appeared. Thus the aching cry of the psalmist’s heart: “O when wilt thou come unto me?” The music echoes its refrain – “I will sing of mercy and judgment unto thee, O Lord” – with the gathering conviction that both are perfectly reconciled in the heart of God.
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Of Mercy and Judgment was commissioned by Grace First Presbyterian Church, Long Beach, CA and premiered there under the direction of Stan DeWitt on 5 March 2006.