Steal Away interprets the traditional spiritual, "Steal Away to Jesus," as a song of alternating sorrow and strength. The refrains are presented quietly and mournfully: "Steal away to Jesus. I ain't got long to stay here." In contrast, the verses are sung with conviction: "My Lord calls me, calls me by the thunder." Similarly, the accompaniment varies from florid arpeggiations (for the refrains) to rhythmic chordal entrances (for the verses).

Of special interest is the use of scale patterns. In the opening refrain, and on every occurrence of the words "steal away," the scales descend, marked as falling tears, or stealing away. At the conclusion of the song, the scales rise, as the soul ascending to heaven. "My Lord calls me, calls me home." Duration: 3:40.

This fresh a cappella arrangement of this traditional spiritual will have your choir AND your congregation or audience tapping their toes and clapping their hands. It starts with a mournful rubato introduction, and then jumps into a swinging gospel beat. In true traditional gospel style, the song is repetitive, encouraging your congregation to sing along, but uses harmony, dynamics and wonderful layered break-down section to build the excitement right up to the final triumphant chorus. The harmonies are easy to learn, making this the perfect selection for any choir. Suitable for Palm Sunday, Black History Month, or general worship services.

Joanna Mills is the Gospel Choir Director at Roncesvalles United Church in Toronto, Canada, and has been writing and arranging choral music for 15 years. Her compositions and arrangements are performed regularly by her own choir and others around the world and have won awards in songwriting competitions. She also teaches musical theatre, voice and piano.