Arise, Shine

Written for the 2025 BBC Radio 3 Epiphany Carol Service, broadcast from Pembroke College, Cambridge, Arise, shine sets the first three verses of Isaiah 60: 'Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you'. A gentle opening, with lower voices echoing upper to build harmonies and a sense of tension, gives way to a dramatic crescendo as God's glory rises. A similar idea is explored as the 'glory appears over you', though with the lower voices taking the lead. Between these two eruptions, and in the extended concluding section of the piece, are mediative homophonic moments, with slow moving harmonies and hushed voices. The final section's simple harmonies subside to unison voices as they declare 'Nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.' For dividing SATB voices with a straightforward organ accompaniment, this piece would be suitable for intermediate choirs looking to enhance their sacred repertoire in worship or concert.