I finished one of my Christmas Carols for CCI today. I still need to add dynamics and so on, but all the notes are there.
It’s a very short, very repetitive setting of the text I sing of a Maiden*. The text consists of 5 verses – 2 ‘container’ verses, and 3 middle verses, which are repetitive and formulaic. I’ve always been struck by this structure, and so decided to set the outer 2 verses as entirely separate to the inner 3.
I’ve treated verses 1 and 5 as a sort of angelic narration – altos alone, in 3rds. Then, for the middle 3 verses, I wanted to sort of ‘zoom in’ on the scene, and the music becomes Mary gently rocking Jesus, singing a repetitive little lullaby about how good and sweet and kind the child is. It’s a very simple idea, but I think it’ll be quite effective, especially as a lot of my other carols are quite boisterous!
Simply, lullaby tune in canon in the sops and alto, underpinned by some big chords in the tenors and basses.
*The full text:
1. I sing of a maiden
That is makeless.
King of all Kings
To her son she ches.
2. He came all so still
Where His mother was,
As dew in April
That falleth on the grass.
3. He came all so still
To His mother’s bower,
As dew in April
That falleth on the flower.
4. He came all so still
Where his mother lay,
As dew in April
That falleth on the hay.
5. Mother and maiden
Was never none but she.
Well may such a Lady
God’s mother be.