It Came upon the Midnight Clear
This setting of the classic Christmas carol begins with a quiet and intimate first verse that broadens out into an angelic, celebratory interlude section culminating in an exciting fanfare. The second verse features a soaring duet between tenor melody and soprano descant, but devolves into chaos as the text reflects on the world’s “babel sounds,” but as the noise clears, the angels’ song resurfaces, drawing the piece to a serene and ethereal conclusion.
An orchestral version of this piece is available for purchase here.
Audio demo is of the orchestral version of this piece and was created using EastWest Hollywood Choirs and Spitfire Audio BBCSO.
| Descriptive Tags: | Angels, Carol, Celebratory, Christian, Christmas, Ethereal, Flight, Hymn, Light, New Hymn Settings, NIght, Singing |
| Difficulty: | Advanced |
| Duration: | 1-5 Minutes |
| Instrumentation: | Piano |
| Language: | English |
| Sacred or Secular: | Sacred |
| Season or Event: | Christmas |
| Voicing: | SATB |
$2.00
This title is available in print or for immediate download. For both options, there is a minimum required quantity of 8 copies for choral titles. Please support self-publishing composers by ordering the quantity according to the number of singers in the ensemble that will perform the work.
Print orders are printed on demand and shipped by our printing partner, and can be expected to be processed within a few days of the order. Please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] to follow up.
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| Sanford Dole’s Ave Maria is a harmonized setting of the Gregorian chant antiphon. The soprano part is a metrical version of the Gregorian chant melody. The other parts create a harmonic world that is uniquely Dole’s; what his choirs refer to as the “Dolian mode.” | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SATB | 3' | English | This new setting of the Christmas/Epiphany words, “As with gladness, men of old did the guiding star behold” seeks to emphasize the joyful nature of the visit of the Magi to the Christ child. Set in a lively 7/8 time, it is mainly in four parts (SATB), although the 3rd verse, “As they offered gifts most rare” […] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This new setting of the Christmas/Epiphany words, “As with gladness, men of old did the guiding star behold” seeks to emphasize the joyful nature of the visit of the Magi to the Christ child. Set in a lively 7/8 time, it is mainly in four parts (SATB), although the 3rd verse, “As they offered gifts most rare” […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SATB ⋅ SSATBB | 7' | English | This setting of Charles Baudelaire’s iconic poem captures the “luxury” and “voluptuousness” of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s radiant translation. The six-part texture allows for thick, evocative chords in Dole’s jazz-influenced harmonic world. Slowly evolving chord progressions paint a picture of a person truly in love with another, asking that they go on a long journey […] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This setting of Charles Baudelaire’s iconic poem captures the “luxury” and “voluptuousness” of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s radiant translation. The six-part texture allows for thick, evocative chords in Dole’s jazz-influenced harmonic world. Slowly evolving chord progressions paint a picture of a person truly in love with another, asking that they go on a long journey […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A new choral piece depicting the Christmas star shining as the three Magi make their way to Bethlehem. Words by the composer. Commissioned by the San Francisco Choral Artists, and premiered in 2023 with Magen Solomon conducting. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| An English translation of the poem “Friede auf Erden” by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825-1898) is set for SSATB choir unaccompanied. Referencing the Christmas story, this setting brings to life the text with lush harmonies freely changing key centers as the story progresses. Each of the four stanzas ends with a variation on the musical material […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Forget the traditional setting of “We thee kings of Orient are”! This is a much more reflective version, for choir and orchestra, given its first performance by the Nidarosdomens Guttekor in the splendid setting of Trondheim Cathedral in December 2017. They also performed the piece on their pre-Christmas tour, using just organ for accompaniment. The […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A setting of words by Eric Gosney, When Love came to the world is an original carol suitable for use in either services or concerts. Its four verses talk of the response to Christ’s Nativity of the sleeping, unprepared world, the shepherds, the Magi and ourselves today. It is set for SATB choir with Tenor […] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||