Drop, Drop Slow Tears

 • undulating accompaniment, incorporating the flute stops on the

organ prepare the tenderness of this 17th century text.
 • 6/8 and 9/8 meters, set at a slow tempo, give a sense of

constant flow to the vocal and organ parts
 • use of rests in the vocal line to give the sense of the drop

of tears, and chromatic alteration highlights poignant phrases
 • duets opening to trio and four part harmony, give a gentle fall to

Lind's sensitive expression of this Lenten text
 • every musical aspect of this anthem (voicing, harmony, meter

and phrasing) serves the text, and the anthem closes quietly in C

Major

Robert Lind mixes 6/8 and 9/8 with gently rocking organ quavers above which the choir gently declaims the words in dotted crotchets, but breaking out emphasis at key moments into the organ's quavers. It has a heartfelt intensity.

James L. Montgomery

Church Music Quarterly

March 2006

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