Hold My Hope
Hymn composed by
Ana HernándezContextual information
Teaching "Hold My Hope"
When you give attribution to Ana, please pronounce her first name AH-nah.
We encourage you to teach "Hold My Hope" without providing the music or words to singers. Like many of Ana Hernández's songs, "Hold My Hope" comes from the paperless tradition. This pedagogy is both intentional and theologically grounded: by watching and listening to the song leader, singers are invited into deeper relationship with the song leader, the gathered community, and the prayer itself.
The paperless pedagogy also includes the song leader providing a "map" by singing the melody line all the way through — Hold my hope / hold my trembling / hold my heart / teach me to be love — before singers join in. This approach, rather than "lining it out," helps singers anticipate what the song sounds and feels like as a whole.
We recommend teaching that melody first, using hand gestures to visually cue when the notes rise and fall. Allow as much time as your community needs. If you know that your community can comfortably learn Ana's harmony for that part, teach it as well.
Once the community feels confident singing Ana's four-part center, stop and begin to teach the song's two overlapping bass parts (both: "Hold my hope"). Encourage singers to listen to one another, and to sing prayerfully or meditatively.
Those singers can continue those two parts as you (or another song leader) teach the "Hold my trembling" line. If your singers are capable and confident, you can add harmony for "Hold my trembling."
When those parts knit together comfortably, it's time to add back the central melody. If people add their own parts, that's the song coming alive!
As the song unfolds, let the song tell you how long it wants to circulate.
When it's time, you'll remove layers of singing — using eye contact and body language to communicate with singers. Invite the melody to stop first, then invite the "Hold my trembling" to fall away. You'll be left with the two "Hold my hope" drones, which you might invite to get quieter and quieter. The first bass part ends, and the natural sounding bass part finishes the phrase.
Teaching "Hold My Hope"
When you give attribution to Ana, please pronounce her first name AH-nah.
We encourage you to teach "Hold My Hope" without providing the music or words to singers. Like many of Ana Hernández's songs, "Hold My Hope" comes from the paperless tradition. This pedagogy is both intentional and theologically grounded: by watching and listening to the song leader, singers are invited into deeper relationship with the song leader, the gathered community, and the prayer itself.
The paperless pedagogy also includes the song leader providing a "map" by singing the melody line all the way through — Hold my hope / hold my trembling / hold my heart / teach me to be love — before singers join in. This approach, rather than "lining it out," helps singers anticipate what the song sounds and feels like as a whole.
We recommend teaching that melody first, using hand gestures to visually cue when the notes rise and fall. Allow as much time as your community needs. If you know that your community can comfortably learn Ana's harmony for that part, teach it as well.
Once the community feels confident singing Ana's four-part center, stop and begin to teach the song's two overlapping bass parts (both: "Hold my hope"). Encourage singers to listen to one another, and to sing prayerfully or meditatively.
Those singers can continue those two parts as you (or another song leader) teach the "Hold my trembling" line. If your singers are capable and confident, you can add harmony for "Hold my trembling."
When those parts knit together comfortably, it's time to add back the central melody. If people add their own parts, that's the song coming alive!
As the song unfolds, let the song tell you how long it wants to circulate.
When it's time, you'll remove layers of singing — using eye contact and body language to communicate with singers. Invite the melody to stop first, then invite the "Hold my trembling" to fall away. You'll be left with the two "Hold my hope" drones, which you might invite to get quieter and quieter. The first bass part ends, and the natural sounding bass part finishes the phrase.
Tune Name
[Hold my hope]
Tune Name
Text Meter
Irregular
10.9.10.9
Song Composer
Ana HernándezHymn Arranger
Composer Background information
Ana Hernández (she/they) is a composer, song leader, writer, activist, and workshop facilitator/clinician, creating tunes to help us be present and listen to one another as we build loving and just community. She teaches chanting as a spiritual practice to join our hearts together in mutual support. She’s a theomusicologist with the NYS Poor People’s Campaign, works with Music That Makes Community, and is the music director for La Iglesia Episcopal de Santa Cruz.
Lyricist Background information
Ana Hernández (she/they) is a composer, song leader, writer, activist, and workshop facilitator/clinician, creating tunes to help us be present and listen to one another as we build loving and just community. She teaches chanting as a spiritual practice to join our hearts together in mutual support. She’s a theomusicologist with the NYS Poor People’s Campaign, works with Music That Makes Community, and is the music director for La Iglesia Episcopal de Santa Cruz
Arranger Background information
Lyrics
Hold my hope,
Hold my trembling.
Hold my heart,
teach me to be love.
Resources
Music XML and MEI and MIDI and Musescore files