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My Lord, What a Mornin'

Espiritual tradicional

Score

Read it and listen to it right here. It can't be downloaded — to sing it with your choir, use it in Cantico.

History

My Lord, What a Mornin'

“My Lord, What a Mornin'” is an African American spiritual published in 1872, and it evokes the morning of the final judgment when “the stars begin to fall”, according to the Book of Revelation. It belongs to the repertoire of spirituals gathered in the first printed collections of the nineteenth century.

About the piece

A spiritual about the expectation of the day of the Lord, calm and solemn in character. The edition carries the melody with its text, in 18 measures.

How to prepare it

The melody is simple and expressive, with a range of E4–C♯5 (a major sixth). What matters is phrasing with a very free legato and always breathing at the end of the phrase, not in the middle. The “What a mornin'” should be sung with a mix of wonder and stillness: rehearse the soft dynamic, and keep the growth for the last verse.

When to use it

Given its theme of waiting for the coming of the Lord, it is a natural choice for Advent.