A reflection on the mystery and bounty of grace — that profound force transcending all transgressions, prejudices, and creeds. With lyrics grounded in the realities of life and an understated piano accompaniment, this intimate, conversational song is rooted in quiet compassion.
Vocal Ranges: Low: g-b' Medium: b'-d" High: c'-e"
A NOTE ABOUT THE LYRICS: If you purchased this song prior to October 2018, your score may have different lyrics in the second verse. I was happy to be able to improve the lyric in several ways: Now “two people” don’t just “stay together"; they “keep their love alive.” The generic “woman” and “man” are now deeply layered, as “the wounded” and “the down-and-out.” Plus the rhyme scheme is improved!
Look | Listen | Instrumentation/Voicing | Duration | Level | Item | Delivery Method | Price | Quantity |
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https://www.seafarerpress.com/sites/seafarerpress.advantagelabs.com/files/works_variant_audio_files/recording-grace_low_voice.mp3 | Low voice, piano - Piano/Vocal Score | 4' | ME | SEA-127-00 | Sheet Music | $7.00 | |
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https://www.seafarerpress.com/sites/seafarerpress.advantagelabs.com/files/works_variant_audio_files/recording-grace_low_voice.mp3 | Low voice, piano - Piano/Vocal Score | 4' | ME | SEA-127-00D | Licensed PDF | $7.00 | |
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Medium voice, piano - Piano/Vocal Score | 4' | ME | SEA-127-01 | Sheet Music | $7.00 | ||
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Medium voice, piano - Piano/Vocal Score | 4' | ME | SEA-127-01D | Licensed PDF | $7.00 | ||
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High voice, piano - Piano/Vocal Score | 4' | ME | SEA-127-02 | Sheet Music | $7.00 | ||
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High voice, piano - Piano/Vocal Score | 4' | ME | SEA-127-02D | Licensed PDF | $7.00 | ||
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SSA, piano - Choral Score | 4' | ME | SEA-127-04 | Sheet Music | $3.00 | ||
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SSA, piano - Choral Score | 4' | ME | SEA-127-04D | Licensed PDF | $3.00 | ||
SATB, piano - Choral Score | 4' | ME | SEA-127-05 | Sheet Music | $3.00 | |||
SATB, piano - Choral Score | 4' | ME | SEA-127-05D | Licensed PDF | $3.00 |
It took me five years to write Grace. Every few months I returned to the song and eked out another couple of lines, but something essential was always missing. Grace felt infinitely immense and infinitely intimate at the same time, making it impossible for me to get my hands around this powerful concept.
The very word “grace” came with cultural baggage. Springing from the same Latin root which brought us words like “gratitude,” “gratis” and “gratuity,” grace is all about generosity freely bestowed, irrespective of whether that bounty has been earned. But in our time, grace has become so closely associated with Christian doctrine that many people define the word narrowly – as something bestowed only by God, and granted only to those who hold certain beliefs. I wanted my song to express how universal grace is, a gift and blessing far too precious to be limited to a chosen few.
However, my biggest challenge was that my lyrics kept making grace sound like a one-size-fits-all solution to all problems or a magical cure for all losses. I couldn’t manage to balance the essential beauty of grace with the brutal heartbreaks of life. But in my grieving days after the sudden death of a young family friend, I returned a final time to my draft. And I finally found a way to sing about grace in a way that was both awestruck and real.
“So excruciatingly beautiful, Elizabeth… I rejoice with you in the beauty of Grace.” Deborah Simpkin King, Artistic Director and Founder, Schola Cantorum on Hudson
“A wonderful, inspiring, heart-warming performance... I felt truly moved! And honestly, experiencing this music I felt encouraged in my own musical walking through the soul.” Liz Lupien, Owner and Teacher at The Piano Garden, Graduate of University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism
"Grace is from Grace, Elizabeth....through you. Made me cry, so beautiful!!" Kelly Blackmarr, Music Director Unitarian Universalist Church of Savannah
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