"SING THE LORD, YE VOICE ALL"

When a choir wants to pull out all the stops for a major concert or a grand anniversary, Franz Joseph Haydn’s "Sing the Lord, Ye Voices All" is often the piece they reach for. As the monumental final chorus of his oratorio The Creation, it is a thrilling, demanding work that tests the stamina and precision of every section in the loft.

The piece opens with a stately, unified call to worship, asking all creation to magnify the Lord's name. But the real work begins at the Allegro. Here, Haydn launches the choir into a brilliant, fast-paced fugue on the words "Jehovah's praise for ever shall endure," woven together with a seemingly endless, joyful cascade of "Amens." The voices chase each other, overlapping and building in intensity, demanding sharp entries and clear diction from the sopranos down to the basses.

For Nigerian choirs, mastering this chorus is a true milestone. It is not a piece for a regular Sunday Mass, but rather a concert showpiece that leaves both the singers and the audience breathless. When the final, massive chords of "Praise the Lord, utter thanks" ring out, it feels like a genuine triumph of praise.