Text: Spiritual
Language: English
Use: Lent
Ensemble: SATB (div.)
Accompaniment: A Cappella
Genre: General Sacred, Spiritual
Duration: 6.0 minutes
Page Count: 4
Catalog Number: NWC-181
Available from J. W. Pepper.
Nancy Wertsch's a cappella setting of Were You There evokes a depth of heart rending emotion, with evocative challenging harmony. The first and fourth verses are sparsely set with the sopranos on the melody while the altos provide a counterpoint of sustained pedal tones depicting the bleakness of Christ's suffering on the cross, while the second and third verses feature the full choir with rich slowly shifting descending harmonies. There is a brief divisi for the alto and tenor parts.
Text:
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?