Poor Wayfaring Stranger (SSAA)

SSAA + mezzo solo

$2.00

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Voicing/instrumentation: SSAA + mezzo solo
Composer: Trad. American, arr. Sam Kauffman
Lyricist/text source: Trad. American
Language: English
Duration: 4:45
Year: 2016
Edition: 2
Revision: 2022
See other versions of this work:

In this song of despair and hope, the words inspire the music. Behind a soulful, plaintive solo, the choral accompaniment starts very sparse but gradually thickens into rich and flowing harmonies with a surprise Dorian flavor at just the right moments. The choir sings the third verse which builds into a triumphant maestoso at “I’m goin’ there to see my savior.” But the soloist reminds us that we are not there yet, and there is a long way to go. Even so, the piece ends on a hopeful note.

The voicing of the SATB version is SATB + solo, with a bit of divisi in the soprano and bass. The SSAA version is SSAA + solo, but in the third verse the choir has a five-part SSSAA split, without a solo.

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