Prayers and Blessings

Prayers and Blessings was commissioned in 2003 by David Arnold, a North Carolina bassbaritone who is a soloist in the 80-voice Chancel Choir at Centenary United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem. Mr. Arnold premiered these songs at Centenary withorganist Ray Ebert and cellist Jennifer Alexandra Johnston on February 27, 2005. A new version for voice and piano was created in 2005. A transposition for lyric Baritone was added in 2015, commissioned by Ferris Allen (Baritone) and Linda Holzer(Pianist) of Little Rock, AR.These three songs are interconnected motivically, yet distinct in meter, tonality, and message. Peace and reverence flow throughout. The lyrics for “Ubi Caritas” are based on a new translation, by Christopher Brunelle, of the traditional “Ubi CaritasEst Vera.” A recurrent image in this translation is the gesture of welcoming: welcoming love, welcoming God, welcoming the “friendly unfamiliar thought,” welcoming Christ with us. The musical interpretation of welcoming is stepwise motion, either upor down, around a pitch center. Perhaps this might be heard as an opening of the door, or an opening of the heart.