“God So Loved the World” is an excerpt from the oratorio The Crucifixion: A Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer, written by the British composer, organist, choirmaster and educator Sir John Stainer (1840-1901) in 1887. A professor of music at Oxford University, Stainer composed some 230 services, anthems, hymns and cantatas, establishing him as a notable, if perhaps minor, figure in English music.
Stainer’s anthem is based on the gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 16-17: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
This arrangement is transposed from the original key of D major to Eb major.
Score, parts (Bb tpt. 1, Bb tpt. 2, F horn, tbn, tuba) — $8.99