'All Your Anxiety' is an expressive work inspired by Edward Joy's sacred song.
Drawing deeply from the hymn's text and message, it explores the tension between human unease and the promise of peace found in faith.
The work opens with a distinctive eighth-note figure in the euphonium that immediately establishes an unsettled character. Wide intervallic leaps and slur groupings evoke a sense of fragility and uncertainty, musically portraying the weight of sorrow and care described in the opening verse of the hymn.
Motivic material
This motivic material becomes the foundation of the entire arrangement, reappearing in varied forms as counter-melody, accompaniment, and featured solo lines across the ensemble.
As the piece unfolds, the music gradually broadens and warms, reflecting the invitation of the text to, "come to the cross" and leave one's burdens behind.
Moments of lyricism and calm contrast with the earlier unease, leading toward a more settled and hopeful conclusion that mirrors the refrain's assurance: "Never a burden He cannot bear, never a friend like Jesus."
More information:
Video of Canadian Staff Band:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=34f5hPSy4JM
PDF and sheet music
PDFs available for instant download:
https://www.brookwrightmusic.com/product-page/all-your-anxiety-brass-band-edward-joy-arr-jonathan-rowsell
Sheet music available from:
www.brassband.co.uk or
www.durhammusicshop.co.uk
www.satradecentral.org (USA)
Difficulty Level: 3rd Section +
Length: 3.30 minutes
