GOD’S LOVE

A Cantata for Holy Week and Easter by Kenneth L. Morrison, ASCAP

(for SATB Choir, Piano, Organ, String Quartet, and featured soloists)Copyright 2014 by Kenneth L. Morrison All Rights Reserved

Complete Cantata available for free from: www.sing4free.com OR http:// kenmorrison.musicaneo.com

Inside: Complete Narrator’s Script, Production Notes, Permissions, Information about Songs and Arrangements, Links to files for all Choral Anthems and Arrangements

DOWNLOAD AND PERFORM THIS CANTATA OR ANY INCLUDED CHORAL ANTHEM FOR FREE!

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Cover Photo:

The Easter Lily photo was taken by Matt H. Wade (Wikipedia User:UpstateNYer). To see his entire portfolio, click here.

CC-BY-SA-3.0/Matt H. Wade at Wikipedia

For more information: Matt’s userpage (link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:UpstateNYer) and "CC-BY-SA-3.0" info at the Creative Commons website (link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).

NOTE TO PERFORMERS:

This work is being offered without charge to early adopters. It is hoped that musicians who perform any of the choral anthems or the entire Cantata will contact the composer with feedback on recommendations for edits and improvements. Future updates will be based on user feedback. Contact information is provided at the end of this booklet and on each song.

Also, please let other congregations and musicians know about the free worship music resources I make available for download and printing at www.sing4free.com. My goal is to be useful to musicians and churches around the world. Thank you for your assistance.

Ken Morrison

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GOD’S LOVEA Cantata for Holy Week

by Kenneth L. Morrison, ASCAP(for SATB Choir, Piano, Organ, String Quartet, and featured soloists)

Copyright © 2014 by Kenneth L. MorrisonAll rights reserved

Permissions GrantedYou may photocopy all pages in this collection for use in worship services in your local church. You may distribute the original pdf file to your choir members for their viewing in electronic hardware. You may record any song included in this collection as part of your congregation’s audio and/or video outreach ministry.

You may also distribute to your choir the mp3 demo recording files associated with the original publications of each section of this collection. Go to the “God’s Love Cantata” collection in the score catalog at:

www.sing4free.com

Here is the URL for downloading the entire cantata in one document:

http://kenmorrison.musicaneo.com/sheetmusic/sm-199229_god_s_love_a_cantata_for_holy_week_and_easter.html

Printing: Let’s Go Green!

Only photocopy the pages you decide to use and retain those copies for future use. Also, encourage your choir members to view these pages in their personal tablet or e-reader and help the church print fewer copies. Saving the environment and saving printing costs is good stewardship.

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GOD’S LOVEA Cantata for Holy Week

by Kenneth L. Morrison, ASCAP(for SATB Choir, Piano, Organ, String Quartet, and featured soloists)

FROM THE COMPOSER

Jesus loved people: his family, his disciples, those who drifted in and out of his fellowship of believers and spiritual companions, the Jewish crowds that came to hear him speak, the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the saints and the sinners, the sick and the well, the Samaritans and the few gentiles who came to him for help. He loved them each and every one with the love of God.

Everything Jesus said and did can be viewed as a carefully-crafted expression of God’s love for people around him to experience. Today, each person around us needs that experience just as much as did his first-century followers.

I once served a congregation whose vision statement encouraged each person to make our church a fellowship and a place “Where love becomes action.” That thought inspired me to take a new view of the events of the last week of Jesus’ life and ministry. I asked of each episode, “How does the action of Jesus in this story reveal God’s love?” Subsequently, I asked myself, “How do the actions of Jesus teach me to better practice God’s love?

God’s love is not a theology or a theory; it is a practice. Those of us who follow Jesus are called to be a people whose lives are marked by love becoming proactive in meaningful ways as we address a variety of real life situations. Here are some of the actions I observed in Jesus’ last days that people want to see when they observe those of us who follow Jesus today:

1. Heartfelt respect and affection for one another.2. Sharing of each other’s joys and concerns.3. Courage and hope in the face of death.4. Real human struggle when we encounter threats and weigh our options.5. A commitment to justice that extends to self-sacrifice. What we do and what others see in us becomes what they believe not only about us but also about Jesus and the Father. Their observations determine whether they want to risk opening themselves to God’s love and to the new life of the kingdom of God with us.

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I hope we shall all embody God’s love more fully as we reflect deeply upon the events of Jesus’ final week of ministry in Jerusalem. We can bring these events to life once again. People are watching; what they want to see with clarity and passion is God’s love embodied in us.

Kenneth L. MorrisonFebruary 2014

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GOD’S LOVEA Cantata for Holy Week

by Kenneth L. Morrison, ASCAP(for SATB Choir, Piano, Organ, String Quartet, and featured soloists)

DEDICATION

With deep gratitude, this work is dedicated to my wife and family who support my ministry and to all of the wonderful musicians who taught and helped me make music in my heart, my home and in worship.

Thanks be to God for the gift of song!

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GOD’S LOVEA Cantata for Holy Week

by Kenneth L. Morrison, ASCAP(for SATB Choir, Piano, Organ, String Quartet, and featured soloists)

PRODUCTION / PERFORMANCE NOTES

Below are some suggestions of images / graphics that can be used with the production. Another idea for visualizing the events of Holy Week is to use actors to stage “tableau vivant” live images recreating each scene for the congregation’s reflection.

1. TRIUMPHAL ENTRY: You might use a photo/picture/poster/graphic or tableau vivant of Jesus’ Palm Sunday Triumphal Entry with the narration before the anthem “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna.”

2. GRIEF OVER JERUSALEM: You might use a photo/picture/poster/graphic or tableau vivant of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem or art of the Romans besieging the Temple Mount in Old Jerusalem with the narration before the anthem “What Wondrous Love Is This.”

3. LAST SUPPER: You might use a photo/picture/poster/graphic or tableau vivant of The Last Supper or an image of the Bread and Cup (Communion/Lord’s Supper elements) with the narration before the anthem “Communion Song.”

4. GETHSEMANE: You might use a photo/picture/poster/graphic or tableau vivant of Jesus praying in Gethsemane before the anthem “Go to Dark Gethsemane.”

5. THE CROSS: You might use a photo/picture/poster/graphic or tableau vivant of Jesus on the cross or an image of the cross and crown of thorns with the narration before the anthem “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.”

6. RESURRECTION: You might use a photo/picture/poster/graphic of the empty tomb or a beautiful sunrise with the narration before the anthem “Rising.”

NARRATORS

There are parts for two narrators. Two clear and distinct voices [who represent the diversity of the congregation and read well] will enable the congregation to listen deeply.

BIBLE VERSION

The King James Version of the Bible has been used as the basis for all written Bible quotations. The traditional text has been paraphrased by the composer/writer for the

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purpose of clarity for contemporary listeners and to avoid the unauthorized use of any other copyrighted translation or version. Congregations are encouraged to read the selected Scripture verses from their own favorite translation of the Bible instead of using the paraphrases included in the script.

ARRANGEMENTS AND INSTRUMENTATION

The songs in this Cantata are arranged to be sung by small and medium size SATB choirs. Most combination of instruments will work as long as no unintended gaps are left in the accompaniment.

The original composition was scored for singers, piano, string quartet and a woodwind duet. Since a skilled string and woodwind instrumentalists can be very expensive to hire, the string and woodwind parts were later reduced into the organ part. In addition, “What Wondrous Love Is This” was given an additional piano score for performances where the woodwind duet is not available.

Every effort has been made to create scores that are playable for all parts. However, performers may find that further alterations are necessary to solve problems being encountered. Please contact the composer with all ideas for making a better part manuscript available to all users. Changes will be made and new scores generated within a few days of each contact. Thank you for your assistance in making this work more effective.

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GOD’S LOVEA Cantata for Holy Week

by Kenneth L. Morrison, ASCAP(for SATB Choir, Piano, Organ, String Quartet, and featured soloists)

TABLE OF CONTENTSINTRODUCTION

Narrators

INTROIT - “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (SATB Quartet - a capella)

Narrators

PROCESSIONAL - “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (Piano, Organ or String Quartet)

TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

Narrators

ANTHEM - “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna” (SATB Choir, Piano, Organ and/or String Quartet)

GRIEF OVER JERUSALEM

Narrators

ANTHEM - “What Wondrous Love Is This? (SATB Choir, Oboe or Flute, Bassoon or Bb Clarinet, Piano, Organ and/or String Quartet)

LAST SUPPER

Narrators

ANTHEM - “Communion Song” (SATB Choir, Piano, Organ and/or String Quartet)

GETHSEMANE

Narrators

ANTHEM - “Go to Dark Gethsemane” (High Voice Soloist, SATB Choir, Piano, Organ and/or String Quartet)

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