Christmas Musicals for Church
Issue link: http://read.jwpepper.com/i/514935
From the Composer I love to hear the Christmas scriptures. They are beautiful in their language. The familiar phrases reassure me and connect me with Christmas memories of the past. But moreover, the holy words tell the story of the birth of our Lord, the source of our faith and hope. To bring extra beauty and power to this cantata, I wanted to tap into the Christmas narrative in a fresh way. So one afternoon, I began to sing through Luke's account of the birth when this simple, chant-like melody emerged. I found that the melody also naturally carried Isaiah's prophecy and Matthew's story of the Wise Men. During the time I crafted these interludes, I felt a strong sense of rightness and labored away contentedly. With great affection and care, I stayed very close to the King James Version to draw on its intrinsic power and beauty. I see these interludes as a kind of warm recitative. Each of the brief pieces uses a common melody to create unity. Yet they are sung by different combinations of voices to bring variety. During the recording of these intimate interludes, I asked the studio singers to imagine they were reading the words to children in the dim light of bedtime. Among the full-length anthems, you may recognize three of the melodies from my previous writing. I'm following the example of the great composers of the past as I have put new words to songs which have been well received. Because of my experience as a church choir director, I always try to design my cantatas to serve you well throughout December. Notice there is an anthem waiting to support each Sunday's theme, from our yearning and expectation to the worship offerings of the wise men. I hope this cantata will take you on a wonderful Christmas journey as you sing these as separate anthems, then together as a unified presentation. I really hope you will use the rehearsal notes I have provided online. Visit www.lorenz.com and search for 65/2071L. Please let me know if they are useful to you. I sincerely feel a connection with you and your choirs as we partner together to gather our people around the manger to behold the Child that was born… One Silent Night. —Pepper Choplin & w b w # œ Soprano ( ) & w b w Alto ? w b w Tenor ? w b w Bass Vocal Ranges 3 65/2071&72L-3 For Preview Only