Description
"I need Thee, O I need Thee; every hour I need Thee…" so the refrain of this hymn pleads. Johnie Dean has taken this hymn tune and text and offered several variations throughout the anthem. This anthem is fairly involved for the choir as well as the accompanist. In 4/4 meter the introductory piano part sets the piece up with rippling 16th-notes, with the choir entering in unison. The choral group must then allow the divisi sections to ‘blossom’ out of the unison moments throughout. Movement from 4/4 to 3/4 occurs by stanza and/or refrain settings. The last stanza is presented [at m. 46ff] at a stronger dynamic level, climaxing with mm. 54-55. The work then draws to a more involved but quieter restatement of the refrain, and the ending (p. 8) shimmers.

Editor's Notes
This anthem has several points of divisi sections, it will require a fairly large amount of rehearsal time to get your choral group singing the arrangement well. But the time spent in learning this piece will be more than worth it. The long, sustained notes need to have energy throughout, so the tone/pitch does not sag. Keeping that energy going without a dynamic marking above ‘mf’ until p. 6 will enable the choristers to shine. The final phrase should be the quietest moment of the work, ensure good blend by having the members ‘round’ the final ‘ee’ vowel.

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