Once to Every Soul and Nation
Russell Lowell (18th century)
April 2017, First Church Boston (available on YouTube)
Once to Every Soul and Nation
Once to eve’-ry soul and nation
comes the moment to decide,
in the strife of truth with false-hood,
for the good or evil side:
New occasions teach new duties,
Ancient values test our youth;
They must upward be and onward
Who would keep abreast of truth.
then to stand with truth is noble,
when we share its wretch-ed crust;
ere that cause bring fame and profit,
and ’tis prosperous to be just.
Though the cause of evil prosper,
yet truth alone is strong;
though its portion be the scaffold,
and upon the throne be wrong.
Then it is the brave one chooses,
while the coward stands a side,
When the multitude make virtue
of the faith they have denied.
-James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)
More Vocal and Choral Works
The Prism of the Lyre, Opus 197 1
Seven Principles for SATB chorus acapella No. 7, Opus 193 2
In Common Things for soprano and piano, Opus 190 no. 2 4
Music when soft voices die, no. 1, Opus 190 no. 1 5
The Shadows Fall So Gently, Opus 181 6
Parables of Love and Death, Opus 173 8
A Hymnbook for Congregational Singing, Opus 169 9
The Harp at Nature's Advent, Opus 167 10
Thou God of Love, Thou Ever Blessed, Opus 164 11
Blest Are the Sons of Peace, Opus 16 12
O God our Help in Ages Past, Opus 162 13
Awake our Souls, Away our Fears, Opus 160 15
Domenica a Filicudi, Opus 158 17
The Lone Wild Bird, Opus 154 18
Arrangements of Congregational Music for Thanksgiving, Opus 142 21
I'm Just A Poor Wayfaring Stranger, Opus 131 24
And Am I Born to Die?, Opus 129 25
Now Shall My Inward Joy Arise, Opus 128 26
The Book of Blues, Opus 119 29
Fancies, a cycle of five songs for Tenor and Piano, Opus 117 30
Revels, A cycle of ten songs for Baritone Voice and Piano, Opus 114 31
The Echolocations of Cellos, Opus 108 33
The Seasons, A Cantata, Opus 101 38
Summer: The Fragrant Pathway of Eternity, Opus 100 39
Spring: In the Pendulum of My Body, Opus 99 40
Duet from Holy Ghosts, Opus 93 41
Winter: Exaltations of Snowy Stars, Opus 929 42
Unchanging Love, a hymn based on a text by Romulus Linney, Opus 87 43
Fall: Autumnal Raptures, a song cycle for Tenor and Harp, Opus 86 45
Dream within a Dream, Opus 79 46
Songs of Time and Eternity, Opus 64 47
Shakespeare Sonnets, Opus 58 48
Ten Poems of William Blake, Opus 53 49
“The Immortal Beloved”, Opus 50 50
A Cry Against the Twilight, Opus 42 52
“Four Sacred Songs”, Opus 20 53
“Prologue” and “The End of the World”, Opus 14 55
Poems of Our Climate, Opus 9 56
Reality Is an Activity of the Most August Imagination, Opus 8 57