How Great Thou Art!

How Great Thou Art! for chorus, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano is Gideon Gee-Bum Kim’s rendition of the Christian Hymn based on the Swedish folk song, How Great Thou Art!. In this arrangement, Kim brings colour and structure into this work through various contrasting soloists throughout the work. In a sense, this piece can be categorized as a vocal concerto for multiple soloists and chorus.

Words: poem by Carl Gustav Boberg (1859–1940)

1. O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the *worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the *rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:

2. When through the woods and forest glades
I wander And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

3. And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

4. When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then *I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, My God, how great thou art!

*Refrain
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!

*Following words are added in the refrain in this piece:
In returning to the Bible, my soul phrases God,
In returning to the Bible, my soul phrases God.