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Shara Nova
Shara Nova (Blue Sword Publishing)
Winter Hymns (SSA, harp and viola)
A four-part song cycle that celebrates winter, and explores the emotions this season brings. Using nature as a lens, Winter Hymns explores themes of connection, joy, grief, and resilience.
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Winter Hymns
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Winter Hymns
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Come Round the Evergreen
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Owl Song
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The Last Light
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When Cardinals Appear, The Spirit Is Near
SSA choir (with divisi), harp, and viola
As midwinter approaches, many people slow down a bit to reflect, and to listen to the world around them. The internality of the season invites us to take stock of what we have, and grieve what we’ve lost. For many, it’s a time to pay attention to the relationships that give our lives meaning.
“Winter Hymns” brings us into the emotional world that characterizes these end-of-year reflections, often using nature as a lens.
Winter is a time of profound changes in the natural world, where the colors of fall give way to the austerity of December. These changes affect us deeply, shaping our moods and outlook. Within winter’s gloom, though, are hints of abundance. The vibrancy of an evergreen in snow. A glimpse of a silent barred owl. Stars emerging from a brilliant winter sunset. A flash of red as a cardinal flies by.
In “Winter Hymns,” these images lead us into a space of celebration and reflection, where we consider what connects us to loved ones, to nature, and to home.
Text
I. Come ‘Round the Evergreen
Come ‘round the evergreen,
Come ‘round and sing;
“Oh, joy to see you,
Oh joy, joy!:
All the birds gather at the evergreen
In its boughs, we fold our winds,
And in the rush of gathering, (Ah, ah,)
And in the rush of reuniting at the evergreen, (Ah, ah,)
Come round and sing;
“Oh, joy to see you,
Oh joy, joy!”
II. Owl Song
(Who, who, who, who,
Who, who, who, who,)
Listen long enough,
And the wind will tell a tale
of the goings and comings of the creatures,
Of the movements of the fox upon the rabbit’s trail.
I hear all the laughter and confusion,
I hear all their hopes and illusions
By listening quietly,
Listening so quietly
to the falling snow,
The world I know,
The world I know,
The world I know,
(Who, who, who, who,
Who, who, who, who).
III. The Last Light
The last star, ah
The last starlight, ah,
The last star, ah,
The last starlight, ah.
To appear in the night sky,
above the top of the trees,
Shines to tell me,
I have made it the long way home.
IV. When Cardinals Appear, The Spirit Is Near
Ah, ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah,
Ah, ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah,
Amid the winter’s muted palate
The cardinal in it’s bright red cape
Is radiance, radiance.
Hope flashing color,
The sadness of the season will not last.
The sadness, the sadness,
The sadness of the season will not last.
Yet I weep!
This winter of weeping for love,
lost from the body.
Weep, weep, weep,
For love, lost from the body,
The sorrow is equal to love’s magnitude.
The cardinal bright appears
Even in this winter’s gloom,
Amid the winter’s muted palate,
The cardinal in it’s bright red cape
Is radiance, radiance.
Hope, flashing color,
Hope, flashing color,
And at its bright appearance, I know
the spirit of my love is near,
The spirit, the spirit,
The spirit of my love is near,
The spirit, the spirit,
The spirit of my love is near,
So near, so near,
Radiant, radiant!
-Shara Nova
Copyright © 2024 Blue Sword Publishing (ASCAP), International copyright secured. All rights
reserved.
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