Be Unto Me, O Lord, a Tower of Strength

- William Byrd, ed. William Tortolano

PDF Sample

Use: General
Required Resources: SATB choir
Language: English

This classic Byrd motet, Be unto Me, O Lord, a Tower of Strength, beautifully edited here by early music expert William Tortolano, uses a text by Sir William Leighton, and is applicable on any general Sunday:

Be unto me, O Lord, a tower of strength, against my mortal foe. O guard and keep me with Thy power, which way so ever I shall go. Then shall my heart and soul rejoice in God my Lord, with cheerful voice.

In it, the composer uses subtle examples of text painting: the text, "a tow'r of strength," is set to sturdy, homophonic chords; "with cheerful voice," introduces happily running eighth notes. Ranges are moderate:

Soprano: C# – D

Alto: C – D

Tenor: D – high G

Bass: A – D

Since the upper two voices share nearly identical ranges (and frequently overlap), the director might divide sopranos and altos equally on these two parts — thus assuring perfect balance! This would also allow the motet to be lowered a half or whole step, if the high G for tenors is at all a problem.

The flexibilty of the parts, the general nature of the text, and the relative ease of the music make this beautiful motet beneficial to any choral program.