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Elizabeth Alexander
Elizabeth Alexander (Seafarer Press)
When the Song of the Angels Is Stilled (SATB)
A rhythmically vital setting of Howard Thurman’s poem about the true “work of Christmas,”
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When the Song of the Angels is Stilled
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When the Song of the Angels is Stilled
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When the Song of the Angels is Stilled
SATB a cappella
A rhythmic, vital setting of Howard Thurman’s poem about the true “work of Christmas,” this piece lends a powerful relevance to Christmas which extends far beyond Epiphany. When the Song of the Angels is Stilled is a seasonal favorite at both sacred and secular events, as well as a call for social justice in our time.
Note: The “SATB and flute” version of this song includes an introduction and coda which are not in the SATB a cappella version. Choruses wishing to perform When the Song of the Angels is Stilled with flute should order SEA-062-05.
Composer’s Notes
Although Howard Thurman’s visionary poem, “The Work of Christmas,” is my favorite Christmas reading, finding a musical voice for his words was not easy. All my initial drafts sounded either unrealistically triumphant, or hopelessly sentimental.
Dispirited, I decided to abandon the project altogether, and to lift my spirits I headed out to a yoga class. Suddenly in the middle of class I remembered how powerful it can be when voices move together in parallel motion rather than in the carefully balanced counterpoint of Western classical music. Wow, what if such a purposeful unified band of sound were to lift up the choir when they sing the last line of the poem, “…to make music in the heart”? That would be music with its sleeves rolled up, ready to really do “the work of Christmas”!
Needless to say, there would be no “empty mind” for me that day! I returned to Thurman’s poem after class with the missing ingredient and was finally able to create a setting with the integrity and urgency that his words deserved.
-Elizabeth Alexander
Text
The Work of Christmas
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,To make music in the heart.
– Howard Thurman
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