(Each week we look at one or two of the best choral works posted in the Composition Showcase here on ChoralNet. This is where we store a treasure trove of works that your choirs will love to sing and your audiences will love to hear.)
When the song of the angels is stilled by Paul Ayres for SATB a cappella (Click here for PDF and here for AUDIO)
Level: High School or Church Choir Advanced
Uses: Concert or Church
Program Themes: Christmas, Angels, Peace
This Piece Would Program Well With: Sweet Dreams From a Shade by Emma Lou Diemer available from Santa Barbara and Sheet Music Plus
Rich harmonies fill this unusual Christmas song with reflective light. It is a bit complex, with frequently changing meter aimed at tantalizing the brains of your more musically learned audience. In ABA form, the middle section speaks to what the work of Christmas truly is. I would program this gem among other works with simpler harmony and more straight-forward melody.
Here is a live performance:
When the song of the angels is stilled is available from the composer’s website: http://paulayres.co.uk/catalogue/286
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