Sally DeFord Music
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Prayer is the Soul's Sincere Desire

MP3 recording with vocals by Reagan Lindemann:  Hi-speed    Dialup    Download
MP3 accompaniment track: Hi-speed    Dialup    Download

View/print sheet music:     SATB  / Obbligato for C instrument     Solo (Medium voice)  / Obbligato for C instrument


Words by James Montgomery (1771-1854); Music by Sally DeFord

Montgomery's beautiful text is one of my favorites in the LDS hymnal (#145), and I toyed with the idea of writing my own melody for it for quite awhile before actually doing it. The hymn as published in the hymnbook has eight verses, though only four are usually sung, probably because the melodic setting in the hymnbook places emphasis on quite a few wrong syllables for those last four verses... come to think of it, there's a bit of that going on in the verses we usually sing as well.

This arrangement uses only seven of the eight stanzas--it just worked out that way. They're printed below. "Only" seven may give the impression that the song is unusually long, but it moves along in such a way that each verse is really only half a verse long. The choral is a step higher than the solo version and the accompaniments are interchangeable--if you prefer a higher-voice solo, use the SATB accompaniment.

    Lyrics:

    Prayer is the soul's sincere desire
    Uttered or unexpressed
    The motion of a hidden fire
    That trembles in the breast

    Prayer is the burden of a sigh
    The falling of a tear
    The upward glancing of an eye
    When none but God is near

    Prayer is the simplest form of speech
    That infant lips can try
    Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach
    The Majesty on high

    Prayer is the Christian's vital breath
    The Christian's native air
    His watchword at the gates of death
    He enters heav'n with prayer

    Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice
    Returning from his ways
    While angels in their songs rejoice
    And cry, "Behold! He prays!"

    Nor prayer is made on earth alone
    The Holy Spirit pleads
    And Jesus at the Father's throne
    For sinners intercedes

    O thou by whom we come to God
    The Life, the Truth, the Way
    The path of prayer thyself hast trod
    Lord, teach us how to pray

    Church Music Submission: Anthem division--Award of Distinction 2006 (SATB)