There is a Balm in Gilead

This well-known spiritual, originally written for Jessye Norman, is given an inventive and sensitive settting. The choir is given both imitative writing and surprising harmonies, underlining both the sorrow and hope in the text. The joy of healing is relected in the final measures, where the choir soars upward alone and resolves in peace. This would make a splendid addition to the repertoire of spirituals.