| Arranged by Johnie Dean
There is something profoundly moving in singing an a cappella spiritual such as this one. The promise of heaven being a ‘place of peace’ brings gentle comfort to believers. This arrangement focuses on the texts of ‘peace in the valley’ and ‘no sorrow in heaven’. Notice how the lower voices seem to bloom at the ends of the soprano lines on the second stanza. This is a simple text and tune, and the musical setting mirrors this quality. The opening motive will take a little time to get used to; choirs should strive to sing the second note of that motive very high to keep the tuning in place. The anthem’s climax (mm. 44-50) is found just before the last phrase, one should allow the piece to build with deep intensity then allow the last phrase to shimmer away as a mirage.
Really work the divisi sections, so that the chordal parts are balanced and in tune. The words ‘peace’ and ‘there’ are the final words of several phrases, so time will need to be given to correct the tendency to spread the ‘e’ [peace] vowel, or to close off the ‘r’ [there]. Try rehearsing sections with the choir singing ‘ooh’ rather than the text.
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