Wester Caputh
(chorus text from Psalm 121 adapted by Ali Burns, music, and additional text by Brendan Taaffe)
I contacted Brendan to get sheet music for this piece, after Hurricane Helene devestated WNC, and here is his response:
Hey Francis,
I’m so glad that song reached you at the right time. I wrote it on the Isle of Eigg (in Scotland) during a challenging time of my own, and then we recorded it right before Hurricane Irene decimated Vermont 10 years ago. It’s a well traveled song at this point, having been sung on almost all of the continents.
Given the situation in WNC, I am happy to gift the song to you and your choir. If they are interested in supporting me as a composer, they could get a copy of the original album at bandcamp here.
Sing on,
-Brendan (he/him)
LYRICS:
Tenor:
Chorus:
To the hills I will lift mine eyes
and I am not__ not afraid
To the hills I will lift mine eyes
and I am not___ afraid
Verse 1:
In sun by day or the moon by night
My courage will not fade
In sun by day or the moon by night
I am not afraid
Verse 2:
In the morningʼs smile or the eveningʼs veil…
Verse 3:
O guide my feet and guard my way…
Bass:
Chorus:
To the hills I will lift mine eyes
and I am not, I am not afraid (x2)
Verse 1:
In sun by day or the moon by night
My courage will not fade
In sun by day or the moon by night
I am not afraid
Verse 2:
In the morningʼs smile or the eveningʼs veil…
Verse 3:
O guide my feet and guard my way…
Alto:
Chorus:
To the hills, To the hills
I will lift mine eyes
and I am not afraid (x2)
Verse 1:
In sun by day or the moon by night
My courage, oh my courage will not fade
In sun by day or the moon by night
I am not, I am not afraid
Verse 2:
In the morningʼs smile or the eveningʼs veil…
Verse 3:
O guide my feet and guard my way…
Soprano:
Chorus:
To the hills I will lift mine eyes
and I am not, I am not afraid
To the hills I will lift mine eyes
and I am not afraid
Verses:
In sun…or the moon by night
(In the morn…or the evening veil..)
((O guide…and guard my way…))
My courage, oh my courage will not fade
In sun by day or the moon by night
I am not, I am not afraid
