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"A Starlit Night It
Was in Bethlehem"
Anthem for Choir and Organ
Original Text and Music by
Ennis Fruhauf
Notes
"A starlit night it was in Bethlehem" is a hymn verse anthem on an original text and tune, in the tradition of the Christmas carol, for soprano solo, SATB, and SAB voices and organ.
Following a brief organ introduction, the text of the first verse is presented in four-voice harmony by the choir and organ; the introspective poetry portrays a mother filled with wonder, awe and fear for her child at his birth. In the ensuing verse, a soprano solo pictures the mother and child in their starlit nighttime creche. A modulatory transition leads to the third verse, presented in the manner of a three-voice motet, in which the Christmas setting is viewed, from a larger perspective, with angels ranged about the crib, guarding the newborn babe.
Again, after a modulatory transition, the fourth and final verse offers the hymn tune, sung by unison voices to a free accompaniment, with the sopranos soaring in descant above the lower voices. The text is celebratory, and it is prophetic of the joys of the Christmas feast and birth of a new era. A closing "Hallelujah" rings out the anthem with a positive and triumphant peal.
"A starlit night it was in Bethlehem" is a festive work that does not make technical demands on the performing ensemble but will benefit from a sensitive performance, as well as from accompaniment by an instrument with generous resources.
Copyright © 2004 Ennis Fruhauf
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