Songs of Earth, Songs of Heaven

We sometimes describe an experience as “heaven on earth.” Saying that, we mean that an experience is so delightful, so beautiful and exquisite that it must be more like heaven than anything we typically experience on earth.

Since we do not know a great deal about heaven, we draw on visions, prophetic declarations, and divine promises of scripture to give us at least the broad outlines of what it may be like. Worship, bliss, pleasure, and rest are all central to our anticipation of heaven. Being in the presence of God will be the supreme encounter, the quintessential blessing, the consummation of heaven.

Songs of Earth speak of our hopes, our joys, our griefs. We live in a many-splendored world—the blue planet—a world rich in all things colorful: grass, trees, skies, vegetation, animals, water. These created splendors speak of God’s glory and love. We sing of this beauty and the hope it inspires for the glory and consolation God intends for us. “For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies. . .to Thee we raise our hymn of grateful praise.” We also sing of our suffering, our toil, our perpetual sense of pilgrimage and exile. In singing of these experiences, we seek the presence and love of God.

Both songs of earth and songs of heaven speak of our yearning for God. We hope this recording can offer songs—both words and sounds—that speak for you, console you, and bring you to God.

About the artist

Heart & Voice, a music weekend for a cappella male chorus, has been an annual event since 1999. The men come from across the US and Canada. We usually meet Friday morning for two days of rehearsal and then present two programs on Sunday. The objectives for this weekend include encouraging good singing for men, fostering an appreciation for great music, renewing our commitment to worship, and nurturing the gifts and talents among us. We want to provide singing experiences that inspire people to continue singing and enjoying great music.

Track Listing

1. Down in the River to Pray
2. Ukrainian Alleluia
3. For the Beauty of the Earth
4. The Word Was God
5. At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners
6. Been in the Storm
7. Hakuna Mungu Kama Wewe
8. We Have This Hope
9. The Morning Trumpet
10. Mornin’ Train
11. He Is My Everything
12. We Seek Thy Peace
13. Behold a Host
14. Saints Bound for Heaven
15. Eventide