THE GREAT ALLELUIA (For Holy Saturday)

There is no moment in the liturgical year quite like the Easter Vigil, when the long, solemn silence of Lent is finally broken. "The Great Alleluia" captures that exact, electrifying shift. Written specifically for Holy Saturday, this piece begins with a solo intonation—a single voice ringing out from the sanctuary to announce the Resurrection. The choir then catches the fire, responding with a full, triumphant four-part chorus that floods the church with the joy of Easter.

The verses draw directly from Psalm 118, the traditional psalm of the Vigil. As the choir sings "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good" and recounts how "the stone that the builders rejected has become the corner stone," the music grounds the congregation in the reality of Christ's victory over death. The third verse, with its defiant declaration "I shall not die, I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord," feels especially powerful when sung on the holiest night of the year.

Masigwe Emmanuel’s arrangement keeps the melody accessible while giving the harmony enough weight to feel truly celebratory. It is a piece that demands energy and bright, forward voices. When the choir loft unites on those final, ringing Alleluias, it leaves no doubt that the fasting is over and the feast has begun.