A Thousand Hearts to Give

Description

For Richard Crain and dedicated to the memory of Gayle Crain

A Thousand Hearts to Give is a line from the popular Wesleyan Hymn O For A Thousand Tongues. It was a favorite of both Richard and Gayle Crain and is the culminating melody in this piece.

“So now Thy blessed Name I love,
Thy will would e’er be mine.
Had I a thousand hearts to give,
My Lord, they all were Thine!”

The work opens with an “Amen” cadence and goes immediately into What a Friend We Have in Jesus set in a contemporary up-beat gospel style and featuring Mr. Crain’s instrument, the trombone! It then segues into a flowing rendition of Blessed Assurance, a lightly orchestrated oboe solo. This section closes quietly with a brief quote of Amazing Grace in solo tuba. A playful, lively version of Jesus Loves Me, set in 7/8 gives way to brass fanfares introducing an organ style prelude of Oh For a Thousand Tongues. The coda utilizes fragments from previous hymns in combination with brass fanfares and ascending lines from the woodwinds and horns bringing the work to an uplifting optimistic conclusion. The work ends as it began, with a plagal cadence reaffirming Mr. Crain’s faith.

Published by: RBC Publications