NoAl nouvelet

I first became familiar with this tune in high school choir when we performed "Sing We Now of Christmas" for a holiday concert. I did not know that it had originated as a French carol from the late 15th/early16th century and like many of my favorite carols, it is set in a minor key. I had forgotten all about it until a friend suggested arranging it for this collection. As I began working on the piece, I was torn between staying true to the feel of the original and this growing sense I had to write something more dramatic and more inspired by one of my favorite composers, Ralph Vaughn Williams. I chose a much slower tempo than the French carol and as a result it has more depth and a sense of gravitas, reflecting the mystery of the birth of Christ. At the end of the first verse, I transition to the parallel major key and the music takes on a more lighthearted and almost dance-like character as the stable is visited by shepherds and kings alike to see for themselves the sleeping child and enjoy the sense of wonder and amazement at such a scene. The music then moves back to the opening and the original key as the kings offer their gifts to the babe and prepare to return home. Even though it is in a minor key, there is an overpowering grandeur in this prelude reflecting the events to come in His short life on this earth, but even more the importance to all that his sacrifice would bring. There is a brief coda that returns to the major key with the promise of hope offered by one so small.