SATB a cappella
Liturgical use
All Is Accomplished would be particularly appropriate during Holy Week and Easter, especially for Good Friday, Holy Saturday or Eastertide services. Its compact form and unaccompanied scoring also make it suitable as a reflective anthem within a Eucharistic or evening service.
The movement from suffering and apparent defeat towards the declaration of Christ’s victory makes it especially suited to a service in which the Passion and Resurrection are central themes.
About the work
All Is Accomplished is a short sacred anthem for SATB voices, written for unaccompanied choir. The text reflects on Christ’s final words from the cross and the paradox at the heart of the Christian Easter story: in apparent defeat, Christ is revealed as victorious.
The opening words, “All is accomplished, hear his word,” establish the central idea of the work. The text then moves through Christ’s suffering and death before arriving at the triumphant declaration, “Victor, he reigns, the crucified.”
The music
The music is deliberately concise and concentrated, allowing the words to remain at the forefront. It begins quietly and steadily, with the solo voices introducing the opening statement before the full choir takes up the words. This creates a gradual sense of gathering and proclamation.
The harmonic language has a sombre, reflective character, particularly in the setting of “that wondrous cross” and “the travail of his soul is done.” As the text turns towards victory, the musical intensity increases, leading to the more emphatic repetitions of “Victor, he reigns, the crucified.”
A particularly striking feature is the contrast between the subito p passages and the subsequent growth in intensity. The final section relaxes into a molto ritardando, leaving the closing proclamation suspended in a resonant, contemplative sonority.
