While this hymn tune is best known for its pairing with America the Beautiful, MATERNA is named for its original setting of O Mother Dear, Jerusalem.

This arrangement for cello ensembles (or quartets) starts with a slow interpretation of the melody paired with three-part pizzicato lines. The lower parts layer into the melodic interpretation in canon to close verse one. A bright arpeggiated chord sequence opens the second verse as the most distinctive section in this arrangement, featuring the cello IV part on the melody. The third verse settles into a slower tempo for emphasis as the ensemble recites Ward’s original harmonization.