Searching for Stephen Burtonwood - 6 results.
This carol can be employed by any choir but was worked particularly for those with limited resources in terms of part singers. The voicings
given are merely suggestions.
The organ part creates a slightly modernistic feel, with a purposeful avoidance of the usual dominant harmony for this beautiful melody. In
the second verse, the organ dramatically represents the wicked anger of Herod the king, in his slaughter of the young boys in Bethlehem, in
order to try to slay Jesus.
I hope that some of the wonder and truth of the real Christmas message is relayed through this selection of carols.
Some settings are trickier to bring off than others, such as Welcome all wonders, where word-painting rules much of the composition, and
A Christmas Carol, where sensitive vocal tone and balance are required. Infant Holy is a gentle prayer-like lullaby which builds up to a
climax on the words 'Christ the Babe is Lord of all', and I keep coming back to the beautiful words of the Wedderburn brothers with this
setting of Balulalow.
I do hope that you enjoy singing these and that your listeners will be caught up in the essence of Christmas.
Many will be familiar with the sadly untrue story of how the organ in St Nicholas Church in Oberndorf was rendered unplayable for Christmas
1818. Joseph Mohr, the priest, asked Franz Gruber to compose a melody for words which he had written a couple of years earlier. The resulting
little masterpiece was Silent Night. It had its first performance that Christmas, with Mohr on the guitar.
The harp is the nearest orchestral equivalent to a guitar, hence its use here with the choir and soloist(s).
This communion service was composed to fulfil a request by Mr Ian Wells for such a work to use within the Trinity Arts Festival fortnight. The latter three movements have been used whilst the choir has been on summer tours to various cathedrals, including Peterborough and Gloucester.
This lively setting in B flat major employs echoes of melodic material between upper and lower voice parts an effect which is enjoyed by groups who struggle with part singing. Whilst the work can be sung entirely in unison, it breaks into four parts on the third line of verses and the fourth verse can be sung entirely in parts with its total contrast of melodic material. The piano part demands a reasonably competent player. The group which performed this last Christmas thoroughly enjoyed its lively nature.
This carol setting was specifically composed for a group of singers who struggle to sing in parts, hence the possibility of performing it in unison. It moves with a gentle lilt and the melodic and harmonic language in D flat major has subtle minor inflexions but it is relatively straightforward to sing in parts, particularly for more competent choirs. Choirs have warmed to the piece's expressive nature. English and Polish words.