Holiday Pops Music ~
CHAMBER Orchestra & Chorus
“See Amid the Winter's Snow” (arrangement)
(An arrangement of the melody by John Goss, 1871)
See Description, Instrumentation, and Text Info at bottom of page.
SOUND CLIP / FULL SCORE EXCERPT
SCORING: SATB (minimal divisi) with soprano soloist, acc. by chamber orchestra* and piano
* See the “Instrumentation” tab below.
AUDIENCE: Suitable for a concert or church setting — DURATION: ca. 5:00
DIFFICULTY FOR CHORUS: 2/5 — DIFFICULTY FOR ORCHESTRA: 3/5
PDF PRICE: $200 / HOW TO PLACE AN ORDER
NOTE: Unrelated to this arrangement is my original composition using the same text, scored for SATB chorus and piano.
DESCRIPTION
This arrangement presents the well-loved melody by John Goss in a lush, tranquil setting.
The mostly-gentle piece swells briefly to a grand climax the third time the refrain is sung (“Hail, thou ever-blessed morn!”), but the music soon returns to a mood of tranquility as the choir sings their concluding phrase (“Christ is born in Bethlehem“) in a hushed tone.
An extended orchestral ending features a horn solo and lush strings, and ends the piece most effectively.
INSTRUMENTATION
CHOIR: SATB (minimal divisi) with soprano soloist
WOODWINDS: 1 Flute, 1 Oboe, 1 Clarinet in Bb, 1 Bassoon
BRASS: 1 Horn
PERCUSSION: 1 percussionist on the following instruments: Glockenspiel, Chimes, Piatti, Suspended Cymbal, Triangle
HARP: 1 Harp
KEYBOARD: 1 Piano (acoustic or electronic)
STRINGS: 4,4,2,2,1, but the violins could be reduced to 3,3 or even 2,2
TEXT INFO
See, Amid the Winter's Snow (arrangement)
Words by Edward Caswall (1858)
Complete text:
See, amid the winter’s snow,
Born for us on earth below,
See, the gentle Lamb appears,
Promised from eternal years.
Hail, thou ever blessèd morn!
Hail, redemption’s happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem:
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Lo, within a manger lies
He who built the starry skies,
He who, throned in height sublime,
Sits amid the cherubim.
(Refrain)
As we watched at dead of night,
Lo! we saw a wondrous light:
Angels singing, “Peace on earth,”
Told us of the Savior’s birth.
(Refrain)
