Songs for Trinity Sunday
A collection of new releases and legacy offerings for use on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.
Trinity Sunday celebrates a revealed truth: that God exists eternally as a communion of three distinct yet consubstantial Persons. It invites believers into contemplation of divine mystery and relationship—unity, love, and self-giving at the very heart of God’s being. Liturgically, it also marks a transition into what is often called “Ordinary Time,” where the Church reflects on how this mystery shapes Christian life and worship.
In essence, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is less about explaining God and more about honoring the mystery of who God is—and how that mystery has been revealed through salvation history.
God So Loved the World
This setting of John 3:16 explores the poignant juxtaposition of the sorrow of the Father (who gives his Son to the world) and the joy of those who will receive eternal life. The contrasts of the piece will be communicated more effectively if the choir is aware of these differences. All voices should execute the expressive lift in m. 9, without taking a collective breath; breathing may be staggered for this phrase, if necessary. -Bernard Sexton
Hymn to the Trinity
During my years in graduate liturgy study at the University of Notre Dame I became very familiar with William Storey’s translation of the hymn Phos Hilaron and knew of its origins in the Oxyrhynchus Papyri from the third century. After reading through Ed Eicker’s beautiful setting of that text, I wanted to supply a second text that would enable broader usage of the music. I knew the papyri contained another, highly fragmented, hymn text; though it seems to have been another evening text, I used its concluding doxology—along with its other fragmentary phrases—to write the companion text “Hymn to the Trinity.” -Alan J. Hommerding
*Recording uses the “O Radiant Light” text
As the Eagle Soars and Circles
In her gentle treatment of Stuempfle’s text, Powells signature melodic style is on full display. The beautiful text, drawn from the natural world around us, is a thoughtful examination of the way Holy Trinity presents in the world and in our lives.
Creator, Beloved, Spirit
This is a beautiful song of praise to the mystery of the Holy Trinity, particularly useful for smaller choirs. While simply scored for two-part equal voices, Moore’s skillful arrangement creates the grandeur of a larger ensemble.
For God So Loved the World
Morris’s gift for melody and compelling choral arranging combine to create this fresh, yet haunting setting of the beloved John 3:16 text. A beautiful obbligato instrument part adorns the arrangement throughout while the piece builds to a powerful climac on the words “should not perish, but have eternal life.”
