Comfort, Comfort Ye

Use: Advent
Required Resources: SAB choir, 3 recorders, tambourine
Language: English

One of the most delightful, light Advent tunes (Freu dich sehr) is given a most agile treatment in this neo-Medieval motet by North Carolina composer Donna Robertson. The vocal lines alone make this a masterwork for the church choir looking for new settings of standard hymns. The texture is decidely polyphonic, and frequent yet subtle changes of meter lend a remarkable Medieval flavor to the music. Variety abounds as voices alternate between two-part women, two-part men, SAB and SATB; although the composer indicates that "with limited choral resources, the second part in the men's divisi may be omitted throughout." Flexibility is thus the key to this choral writing, with vocal parts that dance off the page.

But beyond this, Ms. Robertson has added three superb parts for treble recorders and a tambourine part in ancient style. The recorder parts call for gifted players (check out the local Renaissance ensemble), but could also be played quite effectively by flute, oboe, violin or even clarinet. Add to this a completely independent keyboard part (which would be lovely on harpsichord), and Comfort, Comfort Ye becomes an anthem just too good to pass up.

This is not an easy piece, but will offer good and rewarding work for those choirs who love Medieval / Renaissance style and who want to cultivate precise ensemble singing. Not for the novice ... but fully worth the effort!