Kneel Before the Throne
Dedicated to Tomohira Kikuta
Reference: Psalm 95
Preview:
| Choral score: | $25.00 US | |
| Accompaniment track: | $10.00 US |
Kneel Before The Throne describes the story of a soldier returning home from war. It tells of how he comes from the battle to give the news of victory to his King. Of course, the One on the throne is the Lord. Musically, the song starts gently, and consists of one long crescendo corresponding to the soldier’s closer and closer proximity to God. And when he enters the throne room, the character of the music changes from that of a soldier’s step to that of the worship of a congregation of millions in the very cathedral of heaven. The clue is in the rhythm motif in the introduction. The right-hand notes are divided into legato groups of one, then three, then two. If you substitute a dash for each note, they spell T-O-M in Morse Code.
Technical observation: The accompaniment in the last choruses actually is playable, though more than slightly difficult. But the effect which results from playing it as written is appropriate to the message, and is well worth the effort required to learn it – a friend was listening to the piano part alone, and was able to grasp the general idea of the message without even hearing the words!
The soldier comes from the conflict,
His body is bloodied and scarred,
His armor is stained and his sword is notched
From battle dire and hard,
He reaches the wall of the city,
The gates are opened wide,
And through the portal he hears the strains
Of an anthem from somewhere inside:
Kneel before the throne,
Honor the King, give praise to the Lamb,
Bow, and give your adoration to Him,
Worship the great I Am.
The soldier strides through the city,
A messenger in the dawn,
Past the houses he hurries
With urgency driving him on.
He ascends the steps of the palace,
The warders open the door,
At the throneroom’s threshold he pauses
To hear the singing once more:
The soldier enters the throneroom,
And beholds a wondrous scene,
The host of heaven singing,
And an aisle straight between,
He walks the center passage,
His eyes upon the throne,
And reaching it, he kneels and cries,
“Lord, the victory is Yours, and Yours alone!”
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