The choir is learning a fairly new setting of "O God our help in ages past" by Rhonda Woodward. It's a really nice a capella setting in D major, with a flatted seventh. Altos begin, followed by tenors and sopranos and finally basses. The piece is in two large sections with fairly closely-related thematic material. Both sections have that flatted seventh thing going on. Last night at rehearsal, one of the singers remarked that it reminded her of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." It does indeed have that similar folk-y sound, characterized by the flatted seventh, without the rhythmic drive of the popular song. The Woodward setting is remarkable for how it works with a very confined musical theme, but does so much with it. While I can't really call it a perfect piece of choral music, a distinct category in my imagination, it really is commendable. Woodward's setting has been recorded by the BYU choir in 2003. Luckily the publisher provided a demo recording of the complete arrangement at the time of publication, which I still have. (Don't tell anyone, but I dubbed it onto my personal "great choral music" compilation!) Woodward herself, according to the bio on the musical score lives nearby in SC; I don't know if she is still there. So here are some links to listen to and compare and contrast.
Woodward, "O God our Help in Ages Past" (excerpt), Brigham Young University Choir ("The Road Home")
(scroll down the playlist and click on the title to hear the excerpt)
Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
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