It is well with my soul

This arrangement was originally created in 2019, for Dean Peter Elliott, as part of “Peter’s Choice” - a celebration of Peter’s ministry at Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver. Peter was, and remains, an incredible supporter of the arts, and the ways in which they can be woven into the liturgy. His tenure at CCC, largely overlapping with Director of Music Rupert Lang, created a Cathedral resounding with liturgical and community arts, and I will forever be grateful to Peter and Rupert for their years of support and mentorship as I found my way in the Vancouver choral community.

Excerpt from sermon preached by Dean Elliott, August 11, 2019:

The choir anthem this morning is a new setting of the old hymn “It is well with my soul.” While the words may seem kind of naïve, the lyricist Horatio Spafford wrote them in 1876 after traumatic events in his life: his son died at age 2, his business—he was a lawyer—was destroyed by the great fire of Chicago in 1871 and the economic downturn of 1873; his wife and 4 daughters who he had sent to Europe on a ship were on board when the ship was in collision, and all 4 daughters were killed. He received the news by way of a telegram from his wife Anna, that contained only the words, “Saved alone.” In response to this he wrote:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.