Foreword
There are many definitions of the word "gospel," but two favorites are:
(1) the story of Christ's life and teachings as narrated in the New Testa-
ment, and (2) impassioned, rhythmic, and spiritual music rooted in
African-American churches of the American South. I've wanted to bring
these two definitions together in a musical work for a long time, because
what's more joyful than the good news of Christ's birth and what sounds
more joyful than gospel music
?
This work can easily be mastered by the average church choir. It will be
especially attractive to congregations with both contemporary and tra-
ditional services, providing a unique opportunity to combine the two
musical forces into one exciting presentation that will appeal equally to
both groups.
Joy! tells the story of Christ's birth through six choral anthems in a
variety of styles based on both familiar Christmas carols and original
material. There are upbeat blues-gospel numbers as well as slower bal-
lads in a gospel groove, plus one calypso tune. There is optional scrip-
tural narration to provide a unifying thread, but each anthem stands
alone as a powerful Christmas message in its own right.
Accompaniment can be provided by just piano, or Ed Hogan's dynamic
orchestration or, as another option, we are offering a smaller set of
rhythm parts, which includes parts for piano, electric bass, acoustic gui-
tar, drums, percussion, and two keyboard parts: one for B3 organ and
electric piano and one for Synth Strings. Performance time is 25 min-
utes, making this ideal for fitting into a Christmas worship service or as
a separate musical program.
– Joel Raney
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