My soul, there is a country for wind quartet

Category:

Description

This is an instrumental transcription (transposed) of C.H.H. Parry’s glorious anthem based on a poem by Henry Vaughan
(The original music has a short splitting of the altos near the beginning so I have added the extra note in brackets,
in case performers would like to play it on more than four instruments.)

The words of the original poem are:
My soul, there is a country
Far beyond the stars,
Where stands a winged sentry
All skilful in the wars:

There, above noise and danger
Sweet Peace sits crowned with smiles
And One, born in a manger
Commands the beauteous files.

He is thy gracious friend
And, O my soul, awake!
Did in pure love descend
To die here for thy sake.

If thou canst get but thither,
There grows the flow’r of Peace,
The Rose that cannot wither,
Thy fortress and thy ease.

Leave then thy foolish ranges,
For none can thee secure
But One who never changes,
Thy God, thy life, thy cure.

Video of flute quartet version