How Excellent Thy Name Oh Lord

When a choir wants to lift the roof with pure, majestic praise, Handel is often the first place we turn. "How Excellent Thy Name Oh Lord" is the opening chorus from his oratorio Saul, and it has become a beloved standard for Nigerian choirs. The piece demands strong, confident singing from every section, opening with those bold, declarative chords before breaking into the lively, cascading counterpoint that makes singing classical works so rewarding.

The words are drawn from Psalm 8, declaring God's majesty across the earth and the heavens. In the choir loft, we often bring this out for major feast days, choral concerts, or as a powerful recessional anthem. It is the kind of music that requires tight rehearsals to master the moving parts, but when the voices finally lock together on "Above all heav'ns oh King ador'd," the result is a thrilling offering of worship that leaves the congregation uplifted.