This setting attempts to emphasize the key words – particularly “love” and “home” - in numerous ways using rhythms, strong beats, longer durations, and embellishments. Effort was made to give each part (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) interesting or fun parts to sing. Altos, in particular, sometimes get the short end of the stick as far as having interesting parts in many hymns and choral pieces, so they (and the tenors, to a slightly lesser degree) get significant parts in this song.
Originating from a hymn, there are not many directives provided, but this song is well-suited for being sung with a lot of dynamics and rubato. Most phrases ending with melismas (multiple notes for one syllable) can usually be slowed slightly and in some cases, paused very slightly afterwards (examples: the end of the first three lines, the end of both phrases on the 4th line, and the end of each phrase in the chorus). The 3rd ending is more dramatic than the first two endings.
The 6.875"x10.5" choral booklet sheet music may be purchased above by selecting the desired quantity, clicking the "Add to Cart" button, and following the checkout process. A low-resolution version of the sheet music may be downloaded below. The purchased sheet music includes an optional piano accompaniment and also cover-page artwork that is not included in the free PDF file.
If you would like to purchase the audio recording (vocals by Matthew Curtis, piano by Fen Frehner) or accompaniment used in the sheet-music video, please contact me. Excellent rehearsal tracks are available above.