Psalter Hymnal (Gray) ‎#186

186. I Will Exalt My God, My King

Text Information

• First Line: I will exalt my God, my King (Te exaltaré, Mi Dios, mi Rey)
• Title: I Will Exalt My God, My King
• Spanish Title: Te Exaltaré, Mi Dios, Mi Rey
• Versifier: Casiodoro Cardenas (1979, tr. composite)
• Meter: irregular
• Language: English; Spanish
• Publication Date: 1987
• Scripture:
  Psalm 145:1-3
• Topic: Songs for Children: Bible Songs; Texts in Two Languages; Alleluias; Redemption

Tune Information

• Name: ECUADOR
• Arranger: Raquel Mora Martínez (1979)
• Composer: Casiodoro Cardenas (1979)
• Meter: irregular
• Key: d minor

Text Information:

Scripture References:
st. = Ps. 145:1-3

Casiodoro Cardenas, an Ecuadoran, based this song on Psalm 145: 1-3. The English translation of the text includes work in 1985 by Frank Sawyer (PHH 250) and in 1986 by Bert Polman (PHH 37). "Te Exaltaré" was published in Ecuador in 1975 in Tiempo de Cantar (vol. 2) and in the United States in Celebremos I (1979), a collection of Hispanic songs produced by the United Methodist Church. See PHH 145 for textual commentary on Psalm 145.

Liturgical Use:
At the beginning of worship as an entrance psalm of praise, at the offering as a psalm of dedication, or at the conclusion as a psalm of commitment to honor the Lord. See also PHH 145.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Tune Information:

ECUADOR, composed by Cardenas, consists of four musical phrases repeated and combined in various ways. The tune was arranged by Raquel Mora Martinez (b. Allende, Coahuila, Mexico, 1940) for Celebremos; she served on the editorial committee that prepared that collection of Hispanic songs and also supervised the revision of Himmnario Metodista (1973), both United Methodist publications. Martinez, a church musician and editor for Word, Inc., received a B.A. in music education from the University of Texas in El Paso, Texas, and a Master of Sacred Music degree from the Perkins School of Theology, Dallas, Texas. She also studied at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.

This music shares characteristics with the sanjuanito dance found in Ecuador (thus the tune title) and has the infectious rhythms common to other Latin dances such as the rumba, samba, and conga. ECUADOR is intended for unison singing, for keyboard (preferably piano or organ without pedals), and guitar. Hand clapping and ostinati on Orff instruments can be improvised in addition to the given percussion patterns.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook