During my college years, I listened to quite a bit of Contemporary Christian Music. Amy Grant was a young, fairly new artist at that time. Her second album, My Father’s Eyes, had been released a year before I graduated from high school. The eighth track on that album is the old classic hymn, “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”, sung a cappella and in four-part harmony.
Having grown up in the Church of Christ, a cappella singing in four-part harmony has always been deeply embedded in my DNA; it is a huge part of who I am.
- At summer camp, under the capable direction of C. D. Davis, the entire camp was split up into parts during singing hour (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass), and we worked hard at learning these four parts for every song that we sang, and learned how to blend the parts together into a unified praise to God. It was an enriching and formative experience.
- My brothers and a friend and I formed a gospel quartet called “Morningside” when I was in junior high school.
So when I first heard Amy Grant’s rendition of “O Sacred Head”, it connected with me on a primal level.
Song Title: O Sacred Head (Click to purchase song)
Artist: Amy Grant
Album: My Father’s Eyes (click to purchase album)
- Visit my Favorite Songs page.
- Read about my philosophy and strategies for sharing music here on paulorear.com.
Image Credit:
- “My Father’s Eyes” album cover art (from Amazon.com) used in compliance with the doctrine of Fair Use