Partita on "Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord"

Bernard Wayne Sanders was born in 1957 in Wisconsin, and educated at St. Norbert College, Wichita State University, and the Hochschule fur Musik in Hamburg. He has been active as a church musician in Germany since 1974. As a composer, he has published many works, including the prize-winning piece "Ornament of Grace," sponsored by the American Guild of Organists as part of a performance by organists worldwide in 2008.

A photo of Bernard Wayne Sanders is attached below.

With the sad and significant commemoration of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, I was hoping to find something to upload.

Thanks to my good friend and Concert Hall member, Rick Dostie (rmdostie), who made me aware of this lovely work, I do have something to contribute.

The work is, as the title says, a paritia based upon the tune: "Mendelssohn Da Pacem," "Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord", which was "Commissioned by Concordia Publishing House in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001." Under the title, the composer has inscribed. "Lovingly dedicated to my mother."

The partita is in five movements, and based upon Mendelssohn's lovely melody. All of the movements "calm and peaceful," but at the same time they explore elements of sound and harmony. There are touches of what I'd call "new age music" in here, but in the very best sense of that overused phrase.

The individual timings are given below, but the work is short enough that it really should be listened as one entity.

Because there is not enough space, I put my notes/observations about the piece in the first comment.

1 Lento (Thema in Tenor) 0:00
2 Largehetto (Trio) 2:10
3 Adagio (Ornamented Chorale) 4:50
4 Moderato (Bicinium) 7:40
5 Andante (Canon) 9:00

"Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord."