In Winter's Night

"In Winter's Night" was written in 2013 for the Colonial Chamber Singers of Edina, Minnesota, to perform in a service of Lessons and Carols. The Christmas text of three stanzas was written by the composer to match the beautiful Swedish melody that is popular in Scandinavian countries. There it is sung to a Swedish text that celebrates the joys of summer. That summer text was translated into English (“The Earth Adorned”) and published with the tune in the 1970s by Walton. In this present setting the composer adds measures of the choir singing on "ooh" to introduce each stanza and also adds an optional viola/cello part.

The optional viola part is provided.

In stock

$2.75

Samples

Look Inside

Viola Part

Audio

Publisher Augsburg Fortress
Format Sheet Music
ISBN 9781451498868
Brand St. Olaf Choral Series
Dimensions 7 x 10.25
Pages 12
Season/Occasion Christmas
Difficulty Medium
Voicing A cappella; SATB/4-part mixed
Publication Date October 15, 2015

Video

Composer Commentary

As a young boy I remember hearing this beautiful melody sung once with Swedish text in my Lutheran congregation. Upon listening to it four years ago, it struck me that the tune would, with Christmas text, be a wonderful song to celebrate Christ's birth. The opening measures and interludes of the choir on "ooh" seem to suggest the peaceful joy of that starlit night and the mother holding the child as in a lullaby. And the viola/cello accompanies the choral sound in a counterpoint that complements the melody in subtle phrasing and notes within and around the choral texture.