As the Lyre to the Singer
Alfred V. Fedak

Composer Alfred V. Fedak
Text Narayan Vaman Tilak (1862-1919); tr. from the Marathi by Nicol MacNicol, 1922. Add'l text by Alfred V. Fedak
Voicing
SATB, keyboard
Topics Creation, Love of God, Music
Length
4' 00" Price $1.95 (U.S.)
Released 07/07
Catalog no. 420-146 Difficulty Mod. difficult

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Review
"Indian Christian Narayan Vaman Tilak's hymn of the believer's union with Christ is given warm and graceful musical expression in this anthem by Alfred V. Fedak. Each of the three stanzas contains a series of metaphors for closeness, 'as the meal is to the hungry, as the water in the well, as the lover is beloved, in the love of Christ I dwell.' The musical device Fedak uses to highlight each metaphor is an opening ascending interval, either a sixth or an octave, which usually then descends over the rest of the phrase. The preponderance of images of nature, music and relationships, the slow tempo and the gentle motion of the music make this a good selection for a spring Sunday." --Worship Arts, March-April 2010

Description
Compares the love of God to the wonder of creation we experience in our daily life. Based on writings by the Marathi poet Narayan Vaman Tilak, this anthem employs a beautiful, original melody to portray the text's poetic metaphors for Christ.

Text
As the lyre to the singer
as one's thought to spoken word,
as the rose to fragrant odor,
So to me is Christ the Lord.
As the mother to the baby,
as the traveler to his guide;
as the lake to streaming rainfall
stands the Savior by my side.

As the forest to the pine tree,
as its song is to the lark,
as the sky to soaring mountain,
as the candle in the dark,
as the meal is to the hungry,
as the water in the well,
as the lover is beloved,
in the love of Christ I dwell.

As the sun to gladdening dayspring,
as the oil is to the flame,
as the fish is to the water,
So to me is his dear name.
Bound to him and by him holden
as the flute and breath accord,
his for now and his forever
is my soul to Christ the Lord.

--Narayan Vaman Tilak (1862-1919); tr. from the Marathi by Nicol MacNicol, 1922. Add'l text by Alfred V. Fedak
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