Since becoming a member of the Orthodox Church in 1977, British composer John Tavener has endeavored to use music to praise the Creator. He calls his Akathist of Thanksgiving "a musical ikon to the glory of God." An akathist in this tradition is a hymn of thanksgiving or supplication. Tavener's uses poetry written in the 1940s by Archpriest Gregory Petrov shortly before his death in a Siberian prison camp. The 10 sections of the nearly 80-minute piece, scored for choir, countertenor and bass soloists, and a string orchestra, each contain a series of "Glory to you" statements: "for each step of my life, each instant of joy," "for the diamond sparkle of morning dew," "for surrounding us with thousands of your creations," "for revelations asleep and awake," and, the inspiration for the piece, from the dying words of Saint John Chrysostom, "Glory to you for everything."

More Music about Gratitude