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Use: Advent
Required Resources: organ, unison choir or soloist
Language: German or English
Wachet auf is a glorious German chorale for the Advent season.
The title translates "Wake up!" and it is sung to numerous related texts as a hymn:
- Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying
- Sleepers, Wake! A Voice Is Calling
- Wake, Awake, and Sleep No Longer
- Wake, O Wake! with Tidings Thrilling
- Up! Awake! From Highest Steeple
- Wake! The Watchman's Voice Is Sounding
The organ chorale prelude by Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-1780) puts the melody in the pedal, with the two manuals playing the two-voice obbligato and the bass line.
It's a rather tricky piece, but can be greatly simplified, as it is here, by having a unison choir (or soloist) sing the chorale.
The accompaniment becomes a delightful trio that is still not simple, but definitely fun to play.
Our edition has a verse of the chorale in both German and English, using the first translation above.
If the choir director knows German, or at least can recall some pronunciation rules from a high school or college course, the arranger suggests teaching the original German text to the choir.
Singers, especially children, enjoy the challenge of singing in another language.
This is the best way to expose your choristers to the beauties — and the sounds — of international repertoire.
This motet can work on the First Sunday of Advent, when the Gosepl has "end of the world" themes, but its jaunty music also makes it perfectly suited to Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent.
Why not work it up this year?
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Ordering
Information
Order #: 7004
Price: $1.95
Relevant
Categories
- Treasury Series
- Advent
- Unison Choir
- Organ
- English
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