Three Simple Carols

- Colin Brumby

PDF Sample

Use: Christmas
Required Resources: SATB choir, organ
Language: English, Latin

Colin Brumby has a knack for writing wonderfully effective music for the amateur parish choir. Beautiful sounds can be produced without taxing skills beyond the comfort zone. This is one of the reasons his music is so beloved!

Of course, Three Simple Carols does not disappoint. Each has a "refrain-like" passage that can be sung by unison mixed choir, or even by a children's choir, making these effective multi-choral Christmas motets. The verses can all be sung by SATB choir, or unison choir with organ.

These pieces contain an appropriate mixture of English and Latin text: carols #1 and #3 are macaronic in style, mixing the two languages within each verse, while carol #2 is given in two formats, one with all English text; the other all Latin.

1. Nescians Mater uses the refrain "A Babe was born in Bethlehem, alleluia!" with two Latin verses, which tell of the birth of Christ and his nurturing by the Virgin Mother.
    
2. Of the Father's Love Begotten incorporates three verses of the familiar text with new music in the key of c minor. The refrain has the text: "The Lord will bestow his bounty, and our earth shall yield its increase." This music is then repeated in our edition, using the same English refrain and three Latin verses, beginning, Corde natus ex parentis.
    
3. Verbum caro factum est sets these words in a refrain of lilting, Renaissance style. Six English verses are given in six-eight time, as is the refrain.

These simple carols have multiple uses during Christmastide. They can be part of a choral/congregationl carol sing prior to Midnight Mass, they can be programmed individually as easy motets for the "Sundays within," or they can make effective pieces for combined choirs to sing on Epiphany, when little prior rehearsal time is available.

How very practical of Mr. Brumby!