St. Christopher
- For SATB chorus, organ and orchestra
- Duration: 2:53
- Poem by Gordon Getty
Orchestration: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 2 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, bass trombone, timpani, 1 percussion (tubular bells), 1 keyboard (harpsichord or sampler, Baroque organ or sampler), strings
Perusal score and text available upon request
COMPOSER’S NOTES
I wrote the poem “Saint Christopher” in college days. The first four lines had been meant for an opera on Anne Frank. That idea fizzled out at the time, although I now wonder why. Anyhow, I pushed on to finish the text. The line “His hand is set upon the deep” owes much to Cowper’s “He plants His footsteps in the sea.” Wow! Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travelers, and particularly travelers by sea, so the title seemed to fit.