Chorus: SSAATTBB a cappella
Difficulty: High School, University, or Large Church
Duration: 3’30”
Text: Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (1979)
Language: English
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.
Keep Watch, Dear Lord (2014) was premiered in Cambridge, England by the University of Miami Frost Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Karen Kennedy. The text for this choral anthem comes from the Episcopal “Order for Compline,” a set of evening prayers to be said before falling asleep. This short work is suitable for evening services, Choral Evensongs, and night concerts.