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About the Composer
Isaac Lovdahl
Graphite Publishing
They Brought a Joyful Song
Divine and mysterious, this beautiful Christmas piece is appropriate for advanced ensembles.
SATB (div.) a cappella
A beautiful and substantial contribution to the Christmas repertoire, “They Brought a Joyful Song” tells the story of the wonderful gifts brought to the newborn Christ. The most amazing gift is the divine and mysterious song of the angels, imagined gloriously in Lovdahl’s score. Sustained passages of wordless chorus and divided voices add to the richness of the piece.
Composer’s Notes
“They Brought a Joyful Song” is propelled by a simple pentatonic melody which frames each of the six verses. Every voice part gets an opportunity to take the melodic lead at some point while the others explore myriad musical possibilities through their supporting material; though the melody remains steadfast, the musical content varies drastically between verses. The piece chronicles a number of different guests visiting Jesus on the night of his birth: Kings, Shepherds, Wise-Men, and Angels. The music changes with the introduction of each new character. A burst of harmonic intensity signals the song that the Angels have brought for the newborn king, after which the music gradually settles into a more intimate scene. It concludes with the child slowly drifting off to sleep as the song whirls around him and fades away.
– Isaac Lovdahl, 2021
Text
The kings they came from out the south,
All dressed in ermine fine;
They bore Him gold and chrysoprase,
And gifts of precious wine.
The shepherds came from out the north,
Their coats were brown and old;
They brought Him little new-born lambs—
They had not any gold.
The wise men came from out the east,
And they were wrapped in white;
The star that led them all the way
Did glorify the night.
The angels came from heaven high,
And they were clad with wings;
And lo, they brought a joyful song
The host of heaven sings.
The kings they knocked upon the door,
The wise men entered in,
The shepherds followed after them
To hear the song begin.
The angels sang through all the night
Until the rising sun,
But little Jesus fell asleep
Before the song was done.
– Sara Teasdale
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