Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing
Item Number: 00-GCMR02869
Format: Choral Octavo
Voicing: SATB divisi, a cappella
By Herbert Howells
Herbert Howells’s Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing is a radiant and deeply moving a cappella motet, written in 1963 as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Setting an ancient Latin text in Helen Waddell’s English translation, the work expresses both profound grief and luminous hope in music of shimmering harmonies and soaring choral lines. Widely regarded as one of Howells’s finest achievements, this masterwork of the Anglican tradition continues to resonate with college, community, and professional choirs and audiences alike as a timeless meditation on loss, remembrance, and the promise of resurrection. 9 minutes
The 60th anniversary edition cover of the piece features the oil on canvas portrait of President John F. Kennedy, painted by Aaron Shikler and is President Kennedy's official White House portrait. It is utilized for this publication through special permission of The White House Historical Association.
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