Sweet Rivers
Listen to the men of the Atlanta Sacred Chorus
Listen to Male Ensemble Northwest
Program Notes:
This beloved old Southern Harmony hymn speaks of longing for release from pain at the end of life. It is dedicated to my father, Dr. W. L. Unterseher, who lived with a lot of physical pain in the last years of his life, and still wanted to hold on as long as he could.
Notes on preparation and performance:
Every phrase should stay in motion, each note moving forward or reflecting back, especially the long notes. The collaborative pianist and the chorus are partners-- when it is your turn, take it, and when it is not, step back.
Text
from Southern Harmony
Sweet rivers of redeeming love lie just beyond mine eyes
Had I the pinions of a dove, I'd to those rivers fly
I'd rise superior to my pain, with joy outstrip the wind
I'd cross o'er Jordan's stormy wave and leave this world behind.