The harp and choir both gradually grow more resounding until the very last chord.L EO Although prison confines the rebel commander and he is quite encircled by armed soldiers, nevertheless in my sleep I shudder at my downfall, as I also do when awake.
Use of syncopated (emphasis of the off-beat to create a displacement of rhythm) and staccato (short and detached) rhythms emphasise this energetic thankfulness, while only a small section very quietly recounts the plight of humanity.
Britten has set the choir in such a way that the choir becomes emphatic in its thanks to God. At the end of the piece, a cross can be displayed in the text to signify the crucifixion of Christ as well as the redemption of mankind. Augustine and further developed by Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century. Note the idea of Adam's sin as a 'happy fault,' emphasized by the last stanza - "Blessèd be the time That appil takè was" - introduced by St. " Adam lay i-bounden" tells of the events that happened in Chapter 3 of Genesis, the "Fall of Man" as Eve is tricked into eating the fruit of sin. "Deo gracias" (Thanks be to God) is based on a macaronic poem from the 15th century. The deer in the dale, the sheep in the vale,Īnd thank him than. Pleasure it is to hear iwis the Birdès sing, This is meant to symbolise the discord on earth before and during the birth of Christ and the hope of the future and the harmony he brings. The choir and harp progress through the movement at contrasting paces and, over the duration of the piece, gradually synchronise until they both move at the same pace just before the ending when the music fades out. This movement calls out to the circumstances of the birth of Jesus and employs the choir to sing in a round to create an echoing effect. "In Freezing Winter Night" is another text by Southwell. This instrumental movement is a harp solo, creating a sense of angelic bliss with its slow tempo, shifting rhythm, and progressively soft nature. The crib his trench, haystalks his stakes This is a macaronic piece, meaning the text is in both a vernacular language (English, in this case) and Latin. The sopranos and altos sing the melody in a soft, prayerful manner, while the rest of the ensemble occasionally joins them to sing in unison. It presents a more reverent tone than the previous movement, as the choir admires the beauty of the birth of Jesus. The text of "There is no Rose" is kept at Trinity College (MS 0.3.58) and dates to the early 15th century. The last several measures can be repeated to allow the whole ensemble to take their places. It has no time signature and can be sung in flexible tempo. It is sung exclusively by the sopranos and is patterned on a traditional processional in Christian church service. "Hodie Christus natus est" is a Gregorian antiphon to the Magnificat at Second Vespers of Christmas. Each of these lines individually mirrors a line in either the soprano or alto parts, as though the tenor and bass sections are a men's choir singing the original SSA composition with an SSA choir. There are three-part divisi in both the tenor and bass parts. Many of the movements are written as rounds or call-and-response pieces – lyrically simple for the sake of the children performing. In 1943, a SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) arrangement was published for a mixed choir. The original 1942 publication was written for SSA ( soprano, soprano, alto) children's choir. In addition, the movements "This Little Babe" and "Deo Gracias" have the choir reflecting harp-like effects by employing a canon at the first in stretto. A harp solo based on the chant, along with a few other motifs from "Wolcum Yole", also serves to unify the composition.
#HODIE CHRISTUS NATUS EST MEANING SERIES#
Originally conceived as a series of unrelated songs, it was later unified into one piece with the framing processional and recessional chant in unison based on the Gregorian antiphon "Hodie Christus natus est". It was composed in 1942 on Britten's sea voyage from the United States to England.īritten composed the music at the same time as the Hymn to St. It is principally in Middle English, with some Latin and Early Modern English. The text, structured in eleven movements, is taken from The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems, edited by Gerald Bullett.
28 is an extended choral composition for Christmas by Benjamin Britten scored for three-part treble chorus, solo voices, and harp. Later arranged for soprano, alto, tenor, bassĪ Ceremony of Carols, Op. Originally for three-part treble chorus, solo voices, and harp. Middle English, Early Modern English, Latin Excerpts from The English Galaxy of Shorter Poems, ed.
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