Sacred Choral Arrangements
All Through the Night Welsh folksong arranged for SATB chorus unaccompanied. Also available for SSAA and TTBB voices.
Arranger’s note: The sustained pitches replicate the lingering sonorities in a cathedral or very resonant space.
The tune to All Through the Night was first recorded in Edward Jones' Musical and Poetical Relics of the Welsh Bards (1784). The most commonly sung Welsh lyrics were written by John Ceiriog Hughes (1832-1887), and have been translated into several languages, including the familiar English version by Harold Boulton (1859–1935).
View score. Listen to The Penn State Glee Club on P.S.- Happy Holidays.
Ave Maria by Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) Arranged for SATB or TTBB chorus and optional keyboard.
Arranger’s Note: This is the third of three settings by Anton Bruckner of the Ave Maria. Written in 1882 in Vienna, it was scored for solo voice and organ, and owes its origin and extraordinary two-octave vocal range to Bruckner's infatuation with a young woman who commanded an excellent contralto voice. The piece may be performed either a cappella or accompanied by organ or keyboard, as Bruckner originally intended.
View score and notes. Listen to midi.
Carol of Beauty (Praise Ye the Lord) For SATB Chorus and Keyboard. Old French melody with words by Steuart Wilson (1898-1966).
The sturdy hymn is given a festival setting easily accessible to amateur choirs. Lots of unison and two-part writing with fresh harmonies. A fine Thanksgiving anthem.
View the score. Listen to midi. Listen to the Royal Choral Society.
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing Hymn tune. SATB chorus or solo voice with organ or piano.
Commissioned and dedicated to Sandra Hunt Fitzell, mezzo-soprano.
This glorious old hymn tune has long been a favorite of mine. And so this arrangement takes a daring rhythmic (polyrhythms!) and harmonic take on the beloved hymn.
Caution: the second verse is in 7 flats! Best for adventurous choirs and keyboardists. Not for the faint of heart, hand or voice!
View SATB score. Download the solo voice version. Listen to the midi.
An Irish Lullaby (Shoheen Sho) arranged for SATB Alfred Publishing 27209.
Click on the Alfred link to view score and listen to Alfred singers.
Alfred tells us: An alternate text (included in the publication) makes this stunning lullaby from Ireland appropriate for Christmas or at any time of year. Sustained a cappella phrases create expressive moments, and brief dissonances resolve beautifully every time. Easy on the voice and keen on the ear, this is one to sing every day as a warm-up selection, or as a “show off” piece at a moment's notice. Lovely.
View score. Listen. Download TTBB score.
O God, Our Help in Ages Past Hymn by Isaac Watts (1674-1748) for SATB or TTBB chorus and organ or piano.
Written for the Memorial Service of John W. Oswald (1938-1994), Eisenhower Chapel.
Oswald served as President of Penn State from 1970 to 1982. He was a Navy veteran and his widow Rose requested that the Penn State Glee Club sing the Navy Hymn at his Memorial Service. The lead motive of the tune is treated as a point of imitation throughout the celebratory anthem. Grand, modal and chromatic.
View the score. Listen to midi.
Prayer of Thanksgiving (We Gather Together) Old Dutch melody. For SATB chorus and keyboard.
This grand old hymn tune has long been a staple of Thanksgiving celebrations.
Arranged for and dedicated to the St. Andrews Choir of State College, PA; Walter Wells, Conductor; Gwen Catchen, Organist.
View the score. Listen to midi.
Seven Sacred Canons Edited for mixed, men’s or women’s voices
Jerusalem Canon for 3 voices by Thomas Roseingrave (1690 or 1691-1766)
As pants the hart Canon for soprano, alto and bass by Samuel Arnold (1740-1802)
O Absalom, my son Canon for 3 voices by Charles King (1687-1748)
Alleluja Canon for 8 voices by William Hayes (1708-1777)
Miserere nobis Canon for soprano, alto and bass by William Hayes
Allelujah (canon for 3 voices) / William Boyce (1711-1759).
Seven Sacred Canons is drawn from A Collection of Catches, Canons and Glees, known as the Warren Collection, containing the best compositions sung by the London Catch Club from 1762 to 1793. Although originally intended to be sung by men’s voices in a secular setting, the pieces are also appropriate for use in church, sung by the choir or the congregation. The set includes both rounds and canons, explained in the notes.
Download score. Listen to the Penn State Glee Club sing Glory be to God on high on P.S. – Happy Holidays.
Spirituals for Mixed Voices
City Called Heaven SATB acappella. A lesser known but very effective and powerful spiritual.
View score. Listen to midi. Listen to Kenneth Spencer (1913-1964) perform the Hall Johnson arrangement.
I'm tossed in the wide world alone.
No hope have I for tomorrow,
I've started to make heav’n my home.
Some times I am tossed and driven, Lord,
sometimes I don’t know where to roam.
I’ve heard of a city called heaven,
I’ve started to make it my home.
My mother has reached that pure glory.
My father’s still walkin’ in sin.
My brothers and sisters won’t own me,
because I am tryin’ to get in.
Do, Lord, O Do Remember Me Spiritual arranged for SATB, solo voice and piano. Also available for TTBB.
A rousing southern praise song that Bruce remembers from his youth in southern West Virginia, singing it with fellow 7th grade choir members on the bus to a choral festival across the mountain in Bluefield. Old time country flavor with a blues bent and Gospel piano accompaniment. Bruce has dedicated the arrangements to Sibyl Keesee (1922-2015), his choir director at Princeton Junior High School, back in 1956.
Download SATB score. Listen to midi. Download TTBB score.
Don’t Be Weary Traveler SATB or TTBB and piano.
Another lesser-known spiritual with perhaps the most elegant melody of any in the call and response style. First made popular by R. Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943) and his Chorale.
Arranged for and dedicated to Teddy Guerrant, the finest pianist I have ever worked with.
View score. Listen to to the Penn State Glee Club.
Come along home to Jesus.
My head got wet with the midnight dew,
Come along home to Jesus.
Angels bear me witness too,
Come along home to Jesus.
I look at the world and the world look new,
Come along home to Jesus.
I look at my hands and they look so too,
Come along home to Jesus.
Hold On! SATB and piano. One of the most vibrant and rhythmic of spirituals. The piano part alone is a rhapsodic set of variations on the tune, moving through keys and textures to amplify the joy and drive of this spiritual with its 6 verses growing in intensity and abandon. Your choir and congregation will love this tour-de-force.
View score. Listen to midi. Listen to Marian Anderson.
(1897-1993)
doors all fastened and the windows pinned.
Keep your hand on the plow. Hold on!
Noah said, you done lost your track,
can’t run straight and keep lookin’ back.
Keep your hand on the plow. Hold on!
If that plow stay ina your hand,
it’ll land you straight in the promised land.
Keep your hand on the plow. Hold on!
(1887-1953)
I Am Bound for the Kingdom SATB and piano. Based on the Florence Price arrangement.
"I Am Bound for the Kingdom" is the first of Two Traditional Negro Spirituals which composer-arranger Florence Price (1887-1953) sent to the great American contralto Marian Anderson (1897-1993). In her manuscript Price noted “as sung by Fannie Carter Woods, Chicago, Ill.” Marian Anderson recorded the spiritual in 1964.
View score. Listen to midi. Listen to Marian Anderson on The Bell Telephone Hour 1945.
I am bound for the kingdom. Glory ina my soul.
If you get there before I do, Glory ina my soul.
Look out for me I’m a comin’ too. Glory ina my soul.
In the Storm So Long Spiritual arranged for SATB and piano. Also available for TTBB and piano. Augsburg 978-1-4514-9251-4
Composer Commentary I first heard this spiritual sung by the great African American contralto Marian Anderson (1897-1993) on a recording played on WQXR in New York City several years ago. It was a spiritual with which I was not familiar but Anderson’s delivery was so heartfelt and compelling that I knew I wanted to make it better known. The verse is in the traditional call and response of African American spirituals with a very powerful chorus. The arrangement is in a simple arch form with a powerful and passionate middle section. It is one of my favorite spirituals and I am quite proud of the arrangement. I hope that conductors, choirs, and congregations will find it inspiring and moving, and I urge performers to track down the Marian Anderson recording for a great example of her art and her expertise in this repertory.
View score and listen to Augsburg Choir. Download TTBB score.
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me SATB or TTBB and piano.
“Bruce Trinkley is a master at setting spirituals: his choral writing is not difficult, but interesting and his accompaniments complete. Consider this one for a Sunday in November.” The ostinato rhythm with the melodic motive gives an ever-increasing urgency to the quiet but powerful vocal writing. A moving and devastating experience for singers and listeners alike.”
And Augsburg says: “Many settings of this spiritual are on the market, but this setting by Bruce Trinkley stands out for its creative, yet accessible choral and keyboard writing.”
View SATB score. View TTBB score. Listen to midi. Order octavo from Stanton’s.
I Want To Be Ready SATB or TTBB and piano. Joyous, rhythmic and exciting, this well-known spiritual finds a fresh sound in another tour-de-force of arranging. The last verse makes it the perfect spiritual for Pentecost.
For Lawrence Putorek, Jr. and the Glendale Choirs.
View score. Listen to midi.
When Peter was preachin’ at Pentecost, Walk in Jerusalem jus’ like John.
He was endowed with the holy ghost. Walk in Jerusalem jus’ like John.
In Bright Mansions Above SAB, SSA or TTBB a capella.
Rarely heard but lovely, simple and easy.
In bright mansions above, in bright mansions above, Lord,
I want to live up yonder in bright mansions above.
View SAB score. Listen to midi.
Keep an Eye on Me SATB and piano.
An old-time religion gospel spiritual, irresistible, and another one that Bruce remembers from his youth in Mercer County in southern West Virginia. The piano part is a joy and a workout for your collaborative pianist and Bruce has added a countermelody with “Hallelujah!”
View score. Listen to midi.
Now ev’ryone knows it’ hot below,
And people like me would rather not go,
For goodness sakes, Lord, please say no! And keep an eye on me.
Heaven, heaven, heaven is the place I wanna be.
Move somebody over Lord, And make some room for me.
I’ll sing all day and pray all night, Be happy as can be, Just keep an eye, O Lord, just keep an eye on me.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Le’s Have a Union SATB and piano.
A spiritual that points the way to rock’n roll and jazz with its driving rhythms. It is a rousing sermon in glorious song with its call to union.
View score. Listen to midi. Listen to Marian Anderson.
Prayin a union, Jesus listenin’, Prayin a union, Jesus died.
Come an’ help me sing! Come an’ help me pray!
‘Cause I got to go to Glory, An' I’m on my way.
Oh, the way is long But my faith is strong
An' I'll make it home to Heaven, Help me sing my song.
Well, I don' feel bad, An’ I don'’feel sad; Lord,
I worry with my crosses An’ I don’t get mad.
Lord, I Want More Religion Pennsylvania Spiritual arranged for SATB, and solo voice unaccompanied. Also available for TTBB.
Professor Samuel Bayard (1908-1997) was a renowned and beloved scholar, researcher and teacher at Penn State. He recorded this "Pennsylvania spiritual" in Greene County, PA in 1930. "Hiram H. White, who sang this characteristic spiritual to me, was the first traditional Pennsylvania singer I encountered, and one of the best." The arrangement is dedicated to the memory of David Hudson, who sang the solo part in the premiere and on the Glee Club recordings of the spiritual.
Download SATB score. Download TTBB score. Listen to David on Glee Club Gold.
My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord Spiritual arranged for SATB and piano Hinshaw HMC 1736
One of a trilogy of Trinkley’s spirituals for church or school choir, a rhythmic piece with a driving piano accompaniment.
View SATB sample pages. Also available for TTBB, SSA and SSAA. View TTBB score. Listen to midi.
Oh, Wasn’t That a Wide River? Spiritual arranged for SATB and piano Hinshaw HMC 1734
The second of a trilogy, a spritely spiritual arranged for choir and piano accompaniment.
View SATB sample pages. Listen to midi. Also available for TTBB and piano. View TTBB score.
Ride On, King Jesus Spiritual arranged for SATB and piano Hinshaw HMC 1735
The third of a trilogy, spiritual arrangement with a majestic air, medium level, with lively piano accompaniment.
Also available for TTBB and piano.
View SATB sample pages. View TTBB score. Listen to the men’s chorus version sung by the Penn State Glee Club - from Glee Club Gold.
Soon I Will Be Done SATB and piano. William Dawson’s version defined the spirited delivery and fast tempo, but I always wanted to do an arrangement that captured the underlying pathos and nobility of the text. Thus, the tempo marking is “Blues, slow and expressive” with the quarter note at 84. Dawson marked his with a half-note at 104. A fresh take on this classic spiritual.
Arranged for Lawrence Putorek, Jr. and the Glendale Choirs.
View SATB score. Listen to midi.
Sweet Canaan SATB and piano. Arranged for and dedicated to Teddy Guerrant.
From Religious Folk-songs of the Negro (1927) edited by R. Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943).
Another unknown spiritual given a rousing gospel interpretation with a driving accompaniment.
View score. Listen to midi.
Sweet Canaan's happy land, Pray give me your right hand.
Oh, my brother, did you come for to help me,
Oh, my brother, did you come for to help me?
Pray, give me your right hand.
Oh, my sister, did you come for to help me,
Oh, my sister, did you come for to help me?
Pray, give me your right hand.
Oh, the land I am bound for,
Sweet Canaan's happy land,
Pray give me your right hand.
Trampin’ SATB and piano. For Lawrence Putorek, Jr. and the Glendale Choirs.
Another spiritual arranged on the magnificent Steinway at the Hambidge Center in the mountains of Georgia. I was inspired also by Marian Anderson’s magnificent and intense recording.
View score. Listen to midi. Listen to Marian Anderson.
I’ve never been to heaven, but I’ve been told, Tryin’ to make heaven my home,
that the streets up there are paved with gold.
If you get there before I do, tryin’ to make heaven my home,
Tell all my friends I’m comin’ too.
Wade in the Water Spiritual arranged for SATB and piano. Augsburg 978-0-8006-5762-8
This magnificent spiritual was among many that I arranged on the grand old gospel piano in the Garden Studio at the Hambidge Center in Rabun Gap, Georgia. It has the flavor of my beloved southern Appalachians. It is one of my favorite arrangements, both jubilant and cautionary. The piano is integral and, at the end, enigmatic. View SATB sample. View TTBB score. Listen to the Glee Club, from Glee Club Gold.
Weary Traveler Spiritual arranged for SATBB, solo and piano. Also available for TTBB and for solo voice and piano.
It was always a pleasure to arrange spirituals for tenor David Hudson and pianist Tony Leach - you knew you were going to get a very sensitive and masterful performance from those fine musicians.
The hallmark of this arrangement is an obsessive C flat, a minor 7th above the tonic D flat that gives a haunting cast to the entire piece, and prevails until the final cadence.
Let us cheer the weary traveler along the heavenly way.
Download SATB score. Download TTBB score. Download solo voice version score. Listen to TTBB midi.