What Child We Sing?
Publisher Desc.
The title, What Child We Sing, is a play on two traditional Christmas
carols, What Child Is This and Sing We Now of Christmas, which are the basis
of this new work. What Child Is This is almost always paired with the 16th
Century English tune, Greensleeves.
Both the text and tune of Sing We Now of Christmas come from a
traditional French Christmas carol, Noel Nouvelet, believed to be even older
than Greensleeves. These two traditional Christmas carols blend together in
several ways so as to make the compilation into one work a natural result.
Both tunes are set in a minor mode with a very similar narrow melodic range
that effortlessly flow together. The question of what child lies in the
manger is answered in the refrain of Sing We Now of Christmas with the
proclamation, "Sing We Noel, the King is born, Noel." The result turns out not to be a medley but
a melding of two distincts into one union, What Child We Sing?
What Child We Sing works best in the Advent or Christmas seasons with its
strong exposition of traditional Christmas carols and would be suitable in a
sacred concert or as a prelude, offertory, or reflective music in either
liturgical or unstructured service. It has sufficient artistic metric to be
suitable for the concert stage as well, although it is not difficult, being
suitable for intermediate or higher level musicians.
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