Rafael Sรกnchez Mombiedro
Christmas Eve
For mixed choir SSAATTBB and Soprano soloist
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Text Christmas hath darkness Brighter than the blazing noon, Christmas hath a chillness Warmer than the heat of June, Christmas hath a beauty Lovelier than the world can show: For Christmas bringeth Jesus, Brought for us so low.
Earth, strike up your music, Birds that sing and bells that ring; Heaven hath answering music For all Angels soon to sing: Earth, put on your whitest Bridal robe of spotless snow: For Christmas bringeth Jesus, Brought for us so low. Christina G. Rossetti (Verses, 1893)
Performance Time: c. 4:00
About the Work Christmas Eve is the first of the two Two Carol-Lullabies I composed in 2018, on poems by Christina Rossetti. It is a lullaby with a sweet and tender atmosphere, structured in three sections, but just as the two final verses of each strophe are repeated, so is the music. In the first section, the chords describing the words 'darkness', 'chillness', 'beauty' and 'lovelier' stand out, and in the end, the melody descends in all the voices when the poem says 'brought for us so low'. The second section is started by the Tenors, with background sounds of birds and bells, according to the text, with an orchestral climax in 'Earth, put on your whitest bridal robe of spotless snow'. In the third section, which is re-exposed, there is a Soprano solo that symbolises the Virgin Mary cradling Jesus.
Christmas Eve was released by NEOVOCALIS on December 27, 2020 within the CHRISTMAS EVE project, conducted by myself. Rafael Sánchez Mombiedro About me I am an active choral composer, arranger, director, and a professor of Improvisation based in Valencia, Spain. Choral music has been my passion since my childhood. I started my musical training in my hometown as a chorister at the “Escolanía de la Virgen”. The training of those years still influences my compositions (which are mostly sacred) and arrangements for choir and piano. In 2003, I founded the all-professional chamber choir, NEOVOCALIS, which specializes in contemporary choral music. The ensemble has premiered most of my compositions under my direction. This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Christmas Eve
carol lullaby for mixed choir SSAATTBB and S soloist 2018
Christina G. Rossetti (1830-1894)
# 6 p & 4 ˙.
,
Like a lullaby, very warm and tenderly q = 84
Soprano
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Tenor
dark - ness
dark - ness
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Piano (for rehearsal only)
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©Rafael Sánchez Mombiedro
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
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Warm - er than
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Rafael Sánchez Mombiedro
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œ œ œ
hath an-swering
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put on your whit - est
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to sing:
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22
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Brought for us
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,
spot-less snow: For Christ - mas bring - eth Je - sus,
Brought for us
so low.
,
spot-less snow: For Christ - mas bring - eth Je - sus,
Brought for us
so low.
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U œœ ˙˙ œœ ww .. ˙ . U œœ ˙˙ œ w . œ ˙ œ w . œœ ˙˙ œ ˙
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œœ œ
Uw . w˙ ..
u̇
u̇
.
.
6 33
&
# Œ P Soprano solo œ œ ˙ œ Tempo I q = 84
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dark - ness
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a
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beau
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a
beau
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˙˙
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œ ˙
Christ - mas hath
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Christ - mas hath
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Christ - mas hath
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a
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a
a
Christ - mas hath
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a
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a
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Christ - mas hath
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Christ - mas hath
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œ
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blaz - ing noon,
of June,
of June,
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blaz - ing noon,
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of June,
Warm - er than the heat
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of June,
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Christ - mas hath
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blaz - ing noon,
Bright - er than the
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blaz - ing noon,
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dark - ness
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,
n b ˙˙ . b œ ˙˙ .. ˙. ˙.
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chill - ness
dark
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ty,
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ty,
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ty,
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# **œ œ ˙ & Œ
43
œ
Love - lier than the
&
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world can show: For
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Je - sus,
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so
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low.
U ˙ œ œ w- . ∏ Christ-mas bring-eth Je - sus, Brought for us so low. ∏ , π U ˙˙ œœ ˙ œ ˙ .. ˙˙ .. ˙˙ œœ ˙˙ œœ ww- .. ˙ œ -̇ Christ-mas bring-eth Je - sus, Brought for us so low. ∏ ,π U ˙ œ ˙ œ ˙. ˙. œ ˙ œ ˙ œ w- . ˙
œ ˙ œ
-̇ .
Love - lier than the
world can show: For
Love - lier than the
world can show: For Christ-mas bring-eth Je - sus,
Brought for us so low.
Love - lier than the
world can show: For Christ-mas bring-eth Je - sus,
Brought for us so low.
? # ˙˙ &
molto rit. -̇poco rit. , pVery calm q = 78 , π -̇ . ˙ œ ˙ œ ˙ œ œ ˙. ˙
# ˙˙ ˙
˙ ? # ˙˙
œ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ
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œ œœ œ œœ
-̇
˙-̇
˙˙˙ ˙˙ ˙
,p œ ˙ œ œœ b ˙˙ , pœœ œœœ
˙˙˙ n œœœ
œœ ˙˙ œ b˙
** Little by little fusing with the Sopranos
œœ œ
˙˙
˙˙ ˙
˙˙˙
œœ ˙ œ ˙-̇ . ˙ œ . œœ œ
œœœ
˙˙ ˙ ˙˙˙
œœ œ œœœ
˙˙ .. ˙.
˙˙ .. ˙.
,π ˙ ˙ .. ˙ ˙
∏ b œ ˙ œ w- . œ ˙ œ uw .
˙˙ .. ˙.
œœœ ˙˙˙ œœœ ˙ œ b œœœ ˙ œ ˙ œ
˙. ˙˙ ..
˙˙˙ ˙˙ ˙
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U ww .. w. Uw . ww ..
7