Rejoice in the Lord alway
SATB Choir - One of the classics of Renaissance polyphony, this anonymous sixteenth-century anthem (formerly attributed to John Redford - probably incorrectly) is a setting of Philippians 4: 4-7. The only known source of this anthem is in the Mulliner Book which is held in the British Library. The original text was from the 1594 Prayer Book. The music—a careful setting of the words—varies between imitative passages and homophonic sections as, for example, at the words ‘Let your softness (later, 'moderation') be known unto all men’.
Make this one of your choir's standards!
Rejoice in the Lord alway,
and again I say, rejoice.
Let your softness be known unto all men:
the Lord is at hand.
Be careful for nothing:
but in all prayer and supplication,
let your petitions be manifest unto God with giving of thanks.
And the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesu. Amen.