Behold My Servant

Use: General, Ordination
Required Resources: SATB choir, organ
Language: English

Written for the ordination of the Sixth Episcopal Bishop of Los Angeles, Jon J. Bruno, this anthem is in distinctly British "cathedral" style. The text is from Isaiah 42 (Revised Standard Version):

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights.
I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not fail or be discouraged, till he has established justice in the earth.
Thus says God the Lord, who created the heav'ns and stretched them out,
who spreads forth the earth, gives breath to the people upon it,
and spirit to those who walk in it.
Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare.

This anthem is written for SATB choir and organ, with a part for Treble choir that can be taken variously by sopranos and tenors if no trebles are singing.

Robert Parker is a prizewinning, critically acclaimed composer and performer with over thirty years' experience as a liturgical musician. Called "a delight" by the press from Connecticut to California, he has performed for Presidential inaugurations, appeared on stages throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and Japan, and has been seen (and heard) on both national and international television.