When Christmas Comes
(SA, opt. SSAA, full orchestra) 18'00"
A medley of four familiar Christmas texts set to original music.
Listen (mp3, 22MB; Austin (MN) Symphony Orchestra & Children's Chorus, Steve Ramsey conducting)
Choral Score: $5.85 Add to Cart
Full Score and Parts: Rental (inquire for fee)
Composer's Notes:
This piece was commissioned by the Austin (MN) Symphony Orchestra and the Austin Symphony Children's Choir. The premiere took place on December 10, 2000. The four texts are: "This Is the Week When Christmas Comes" (Eleanor Farjeon), "little tree" (E.E. Cummings), "Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem" (Phillips Brooks), "I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day" (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow). Most of the choral writing is either unison or two-part, although there is one optional SSAA verse on "O Little Town of Bethlehem." That verse may be sung in unison as the harmonies are cued in the woodwinds.