Choral ~ Holiday ~ A Cappella
“All My Heart This Night Rejoices!”
(An arrangement of the melody by Johann Georg Ebeling, 1637-1676)
SOUND CLIP / WATCH VIDEO ON VIMEO / SCORE SAMPLE
SCORING: SATB a cappella (no divisi)
DURATION: ca. 2:00 — DIFFICULTY: 4/5 — PAGES IN PDF SCORE: 7
HOW TO PLACE AN ORDER — PDF: $45 (for all the copies you need)
DESCRIPTION
This piece shows off my love of counterpoint, and was written at the tender age of 13! I decided it would be fun to arrange this carol in the style of a Baroque chorale motet. The melody appears as a cantus firmus in the soprano part, while the other three parts engage in playful counterpoint (all of which is based on the melody itself).
The technical term for this kind of writing is "Vorimitation," a German word meaning "fore-imitation." This refers to successive entrances that imitate the chorale line, and which enter before each phrase of the cantus firmus.
This piece sparkles with counterpoint and would be a delightful (and unique) addition to your holiday choral program!
TEXT INFO
All My Heart This Night Rejoices!
Words by Paulus Gerhardt (1606-1676) —
Translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878)
Complete text:
All my heart this night rejoices
As I hear, far and near,
Sweetest angel voices:
“Christ is born!” their choirs are singing
Till the air, ev'rywhere,
Now with joy is ringing.
REVIEWS
Dr. Gerhard Krapf, composer:
“This is a remarkable composition, Peter. In the style of Bach, you have created a very contrapuntal arrangement of this traditional carol. Very few composers would dare to swim in such treacherous waters of counterpoint. But you have done so, and have succeeded brilliantly! Bravo!”
— Dr. Gerhard Krapf, Composer, and Founder of the Organ Dept.
at the University of Iowa School of Music
