#Hodie christus natus est meaning series#

The narrator presents these partly as small individual memories and partly as charming dialogues with a small child of that time.

#Hodie christus natus est meaning series#

It consists of a series of vignettes recalling imaginary scenes from Christmases past. He put it together in 1952 from several previous articles and radio talks on the Christmas theme, intending it for a recording session for which he was contracted with the new spoken-word recording company Caedmon Audio. He became widely popular in his lifetime but died prematurely at age 39 in New York City where he had gained the reputation of a “roistering, drunken and doomed poet.”Īs the musical score explains, “ A Child’s Christmas In Wales is perhaps most popular work. Listen nowĭylan Thomas (1914-1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night and Death Shall Have No Dominion the play for voices Under Milk Wood and stories and radio broadcasts such as A Child’s Christmas in Wales and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog. “The first stanza is rural and descriptive, while the second focuses on abstract spiritual matters and contains explanation and analogy.” The entire work is very singable and lasts about thirty-five minutes. Nickel instructs the singers in There’s a Cry Over Bethlehem to “not sound pleasant-as wailing is not a nice sound.” He also adds that “one might struggle with the concept of music about the slaughter of the innocents, yet this story portrays the brutality of the times and is an integral part of the Christmas story.” Little Lamb, Who Made Thee? is very much a combination of a hymn and a lullaby, but always gentle throughout. The first of Joseph’s Dreams tells him to take Mary as his wife even though the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit whereas the second alerts Joseph to the anger and reprisals of Herod. Tidings of Great Joy abounds with energy and enthusiasm as it tells the story of the shepherds and the angels. The Grief of Pleasures Brought Me To Him has the sopranos and altos tell the story over a repetitive rhythmic pattern from the tenors and basses. Many of the pieces have a traditional carol sound to them but others are more contemporary sounding. In fifteen movements, this cantata gives “a unique and compelling rendition of the Christmas story, from ancient prophecy to the immaculate conception up until Christ was two years old.” For the most part the text is taken from scripture, but also includes the poetry of George Herbert and William Blake.Ĩ. Larry Nickel (composer and owner of Cypress Choral Music in Vancouver) was commissioned by the Faith Builders Chorale of Pennsylvania to write a work for Christmas without any instrumentation, as their particular Amish sect does not make use of instruments in their church service. Listen nowĪ Cappella Christmas Cantata retells or repeats the familiar story of the birth of Christ but in a new and quite refreshing way. It joyfully proclaims the birth of Christ and the music is chordal in nature with many repetitions of “Gloria in excelsis Deo” and “Alleluia.” The music is declamatory and bursts with enthusiasm as the birth of Christ is celebrated loudly as “just men cry out.” Singing Poulenc is always a rewarding experience although at first sight the music often appears threatening and overly difficult, but once the sound is in the head the end result is always so musically rewarding. Hodie Christus natus est is the antiphon for Christmas day. The music is reserved and simple and homophonic throughout. The words are the antiphon of the Magnificat for Vespers on the second day of the Christmas season. The music is at first almost playful but increases in determination as the shepherds repeatedly demand “Tell us then! Sat what you saw there!’ Videntes stellam brings the Three Kings into the picture. It is an imagined conversation between the shepherds hurrying to the manger and the peasants of the village. Quem vidistis, pastores is a responsory for the first Nocturn of Matins for Christmas day. The text is a responsory for the second Nocturn of Matins on Christmas day. O Magnum Mysterium is the most popular of the four and utilizes Poulenc’s gift of lyric melody and his penchant for poignant harmonic turns to shine light on the hushed awe of humble observers at the birth of Christ. Each of the motets is dedicated to a different friend or colleague.

The music expresses the warmth and joy of the nativity season. Francis Poulenc’s Quatre Motets pour le Temps de Noël ( Four Motets for Christmas) were composed in 1951-52.