This edition was prepared by Douglas Walczak — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
A.D. 1919
Staff Notation • Secular, Oratorios
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A.D. 1919 by Horatio W. Parker — Lyrics
There's a clamour of many voices,
There's a murmur of marching feet,
And a music that rejoices
Where the ranks move down the street;
Friends with the heart of strangers,
Boys with the eyes of men,
Having endured all dangers
And so returned again.
Therefore with banners burning
And cheers that rise and roll
Honour to these returning
Who saved our honour whole.
Kingdoms and Dominations
Have owned their fighting worth
This common clay of nations
Clad in the hue of earth;
These common souls and human
Who laugh their sins abroad
But hide the love of woman
And seek the fear of God.
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About A.D. 1919
Horatio Parker's A.D. 1919 is a powerful SATB setting of an English text celebrating the return of soldiers after the First World War. The music vividly captures the scene, opening with a clamour of voices and the rhythmic stir of marching feet, progressing to music that rejoices in the homecoming. The choral writing reflects the text's shifting moods, from the initial celebration and acknowledgement of danger endured, to the profound honour due to those who 'saved our honour whole'. The piece moves through imagery of national pride and the common humanity of soldiers, before a final, rousing acknowledgement of their resilience and triumphant return.
