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LYRICS FOR 'LA VERNA' can be seen below.
GOOD MORNING GOOD PEOPLE
'Good Morning Good People' (St. Francis of Assisi - A Journey in Song) has been the 'big work' of my creative life. Over a period of 25 years I wrote a cycle of seventeen songs to tell in a deep yet entertaining way, the life of St. Francis of Assisi. I wrote scores for choir and orchestra and, from my local area, gathered a large group, which performed seven large scale concerts of the whole work in the period 1994-1995 under the musical-direction of Christine Tilley. A double-CD was made from one of these concerts.
On March 15 & 17, 1995, 'Good Morning Good People', was performed by a different choir, orchestra (and soloists) from the Hunter region of New South Wales. I made a recording of one of those concerts on my Revox reel-to-reel tape-recorder, In this song-post 'La Verna', I am publishing for the first time a section of the Hunter performance.
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CONTEXT
'La Verna' is the penultimate song in 'Good Morning Good People'. The narration that precedes the song is as follows:
"The troubles in the Order were a constant emotional burden and stress. He became increasingly frail and sick. A powerful yearning grew in him to go up on the Mountain once more. And so with three companions, he went and began a long period of fasting and prayer.
The name of the Mountain - La Verna".
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lyrics
LA VERNA
My Lord, my Lord, my Lord
Here is your Francis come from the Valley for a while
Like a child, I come to you crying
Reach from the Mountain for your hand
For your hand, my Lord
You know what I've been through
My children desert me. They hurt me
They don't know what they do
Changing the Rule, they're making it easy
And now the World must have it's way
Oh Poverty brought to shame.
La Verna, that stony Mountain.
La Verna, he climbed again
La Verna, high holy Mountain.
La Verna, scene of his pain
My Lord, my Lord, my Lord, am I forsaken?
Am I abandoned by Thee, hopelessly?
Despair will en-cave me if you don't save me my Lord
My Lord, my Lord, my Lord
Ever since the day you called my name
You know I've loved you
You know I've been true to your Way
Even today, wounded and weary
I follow in the way where you lead
To Calvary, my Lord
Holy Father, can you hear me? (Hear me Lord)
Christ the Son, Lord pity me (Pity me)
Holy Spirit, God help and guide me (Guide me)
I'm a child in need.
In thinking on Christ's passion
His heart grew tender bare
He asked to share Christ's burden
Of all our sin and care
And in the pain of his hunger
In the pain of his thirst
In the fire of his yearning a vision in him burst
A fiery Seraph came toward him
Shining brighter than the sun
Nailed by his wings to the Cross of the World
The Crucified One he saw
When he came to his senses
Lying on the ground
In his hands and feet and side
The wounds of Christ he found
My Lord, my Lord, my Lord
Now it is done
I have been crucified with Thee
And still I bleed
But now I am risen, it is not Francis but Thee
Who lives in me
My Lord, only Thee, My Lord
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credits
released March 22, 2024
SONGS & MUSIC FOR 'LA VERNA'
Composed and arranged by Peter Kearney
CHOIR and ORCHESTRA
were volunteers from Newcastle NSW and the wider Hunter Community
Musical Director: Craig Wattam
Lead singers on this recording are: Louise Roach, Trish Barnes, Noel Eve and Peter Kearney
Instrumentalists include: Catherine Mahony (flute), Peter Kearney (guitar)
Many thanks to the 'Good Morning Good People' Hunter Committee who organised, fund-raised for and publicised the two full-scale performances of 'Good Morning Good People' in The Mission Theatre, Newcastle, March 15 & 17 1995.
Special thanks to DOROTHY WOODWARD who co-ordinated arrangements for the Hunter production and created some lovely artwork to illustrate 'Good Morning Good People'..
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AVAILABLE RESOURCES:
DOUBLE-CD
A complete 'Good Morning Good People' concert (1994 Mittagong) can be heard on the DOUBLE-CD: 'GOOD MORNING GOOD PEOPLE!' (A Journey in Song): Purchase it through Peter's online shop: peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/356141. A booklet with song-lyrics is supplied with the CD.
At this stage, no PDF Music is available for La Verna
Peter Kearney is an Australian songwriter and singer. His early folk-hymns 'Fill My House' & 'The Beatitudes' are
internationally known. He has written many other songs of justice and peace, songs for children, and a musical-narrative on St. Francis of Assisi. His published recordings include 153 original songs.
LINKS BELOW are for Peter's:
- Website
- Online store
- Facebook Artist Page....more
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