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About the Composer
Carol Barnett
VocalEssence Music Press
Most Holy Night (from Quilt Songs)
A dialogue between SSA and TBB develops a stunning atmosphere, featuring many graceful extended melodic gestures.
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Quilt Songs: Women Weaving the Fabric of Life
SSAATTBB, a cappella
from the choral cycle Quilt Songs.
“Most Holy Night” is part of Quilt Songs: Women Weaving the Fabric of Life, commissioned in 2015 to highlight the quilts of Kay McCarthy. Carol Barnett chose the quilt Moon River and creates a dialogue between the SSA and TBB voices to develop a stunning atmosphere that also features many graceful extended melodic gestures.
Composer’s Notes
Myriad tiny triangles assembled into Northwind blocks to make a quilt; dark grey, midnight blue, a bit of lilac and russet shot through with white: Moon River.
Mysterious guardian of sleep,
transformer of the day’s complaints,
conjurer of dreams,
The Night embraces us with velvet wings.
Inspired by such loveliness from quilter and poet, who can resist responding: Most Holy Night.
– Carol Barnett
Text
Most holy Night, that still dost keep
The keys of all the doors of sleep,
To me when my tired eyelids close
Give thou repose.
And let the far lament of them
That chaunt the dead day’s requiem
Make in my ears, who wakeful lie,
Soft lullaby.
Let them that guard the sacred moon
By my bedside their memories croon;
So shall I have strange dreams and blest
In my brief rest.
Fold your great wings about my face,
Hide day-dawn from my resting-place,
And cheat me with your false delight,
Most holy Night.
– Hilaire Belloc
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