In Praise of Easter
(A Short Cantata for Easter in five movements
for SATB Chorus, brass quartet and organ)
by
Dan Locklair
In Praise of Easter (A Short Cantata for Easter in five movements for SATB Chorus, brass quartet and organ) was composed in 1973 in New York City and premiered on 25 April 1973 at Union Theological Seminary (NYC). Its text comes from the Services for Trial Use (1971) of the Episcopal Church. Originally published in 1975 by J. Fischer, In Praise of Easter is now published by Subito. The texts for each movement are:
I. Alleluia
II. Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us;
therefore let us celebrate the feast,
Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Alleluia.
III. Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us;
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all;
So also consider yourselves dead to sin,
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Alleluia.
IV. Christ has been raised from the dead,
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by a man came death,
by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die,
so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Alleluia.
(Texts from Services for Trial Use, Christ our Passover:
I Corinthians 5:7-8; Romans 6:9-11; I Corinthians 15:20-22)
Dan Locklair