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Matthew Coleridge Noël: Christmas Eve 1913 for 5 female voices, a cappella for SATB a cappella words by Robert Bridges
Matthew ColeridgeNoël: Christmas Eve 1913
for 5 female voices, a cappellafor SATB a cappella words by Robert Bridges
Matthew Coleridge
A commission from Mandy Alford for her choir, the Parnham
Voices. I was asked for 'a carol, bright and starry', and
immediately thought of the poem by Robert Bridges, which
encapsulates the fragile wonders of a crystalline winter's night.
The imagery in the words - 'distant music', 'peels of bells',
'constellated sounds' and 'the bright stars singing' can only be
described as a composers' dream!
for SATB a cappella | text by Robert Bridges
NOEL: CHRISTMAS EVE 1913
www.matthewcoleridge.com
This download may be printed and performed in public.
Performances of this work should be notified to PRS for Music, or its affiliated societies in each country throughout the world.
This edition ©2019 Matthew Coleridge. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Matthew Coleridge.
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Tenderly, at a leisurely pace
Robert Bridges
1844-1930
MATTHEW COLERIDGE
Pax hominibus bonae voluntatis
Noël: Christmas Eve 1913
LICENSED COPY
for Mandy Alford and Parnham Voices, Beaminster
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
8
S.
A.
T.
B.
13
S.
A.
T.
B.
4
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6
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3
4
&
b
Ah,
pp
ah, ah, ah,
&
b
Ah,
pp
A
mp
fros ty- Christ mas- Eve, when the stars were
&
‹
b
Ah,
pp
ah, ah, ah,
?
b
Ah,
pp
ah, ah, ah,
&
b
ah, ah,
mf
And from ma ny- a
3
3
&
b
shin ing;- Fared I forth a lone- where west ward- falls the hill.
mf
And from ma ny- a
3
3
&
‹
b
ah, ah,
mf
And from ma ny- a
3
3
?
b
ah, ah,
mf
And from ma ny- a
3
3
&
b
vill age- in the wa ter'd val ley- dis
p
tant- mu sic,- dis tant mu sic- reached me;
3
&
b
vill age- in the wa ter'd val ley- dis
p
tant- mu sic,- dis tant mu sic- reached me;
3
&
‹
b
vill age- in the wa ter'd- val ley- dis
p
tant- mu sic,- dis tant mu sic- reached me;
3
?
b
vill age- in the wa ter'd val ley- dis
p
tant- mu sic,- dis tant mu sic- reached me;
3
3
˙
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www.matthewcoleridge.com
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18
S.
A.
T.
B.
22
S.
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B.
28
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B.
4
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3
4
&
b
Peals
mp
of bells a ring- ing,- peals
mf
of bells a ring- ing:-
&
b
Peals
mp
of bells a ring- ing,- peals
mf
of bells a ring- ing,- a ring- ing:-
&
‹
b
mp
Peals of bells a ring- ing,- peals
mf
of bells a ring- ing,- bells a ring- ing:-
?
b
mp
Peals of bells a ring- ing,- peals
mf
of bells a ring- ing,- a ring- ing:-
&
b
pp
The
sotto voce
con stel- la- ted- sounds lay sprink ling- on earth's floor; the
mp
con stel- la- ted- sounds lay
&
b
pp
The
sotto voce
con stel- la- ted- sounds lay sprink ling- on earth's floor; the
mp
con stel- la- ted- sounds lay
&
‹
b
pp
The
sotto voce
con stel- la- ted- sounds lay sprink ling- on earth's floor; the
mp
con stel- la- ted- sounds lay
?
b
∑ ∑ ∑
the
mp
con stel- la- ted- sounds lay
&
b
sprink ling- on earth's floor; the
f
con stel- la ted sounds lay sprink ling- on
dim.
earth's
3
&
b
sprink ling- on earth's floor; the
f
con stel- la ted sounds lay sprink ling-
dim.
on earth's
3
&
‹
b
sprink ling- on earth's floor; the
f
con stel- la ted sounds lay sprink ling-
dim.
on earth's
?
b
sprink ling- on earth's floor; the
f
con stel- la ted sounds lay sprink ling- on
dim.
earth's
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Coleridge - Noël: Christmas Eve 1913
www.matthewcoleridge.com
2
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33
S.
A.
T.
B.
39
SATB
S.
A.
T.
B.
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
&
b
floor, as
mp
the dark vault a bove- with stars was span gled- o'er.
p
Ah,
SEMI CHORUS
&
b
floor; as
mp
the dark vault a bove- with stars was span gled- o'er.
p
Ah,
&
‹
b
floor; as
mp
the dark vault a bove- with stars was span gled- o'er.
p
Ah,
?
b
floor; as
mp
the dark vault a bove- with stars was span gled- o'er.
p
Ah,
&
b ∑
Other voices in unison (T/B -8ve)
mp
Then sped my thoughts to keep that first Christ mas- of
3
&
b
ah,
(SEMI-CHORUS)
hmm, hmm,
&
b
hmm,
&
‹
b
ah, hmm, hmm,
?
b
ah, hmm, hmm,
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Ó ww
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Coleridge - Noël: Christmas Eve 1913
www.matthewcoleridge.com
3
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44
SATB
S.
A.
T.
B.
49
S.
A.
T.
B.
rall.
52
meno mosso
S.
A.
T.
B.
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
&
b
all, when the shep herds- watch ing- by their folds ere the dawn
mp
heard
TUTTI
L
&
b
hmm,
mp
heard
TUTTI
c
&
b
hmm,
mp
heard
&
‹
b
hmm,
mp
heard
?
b
mp
hmm,
mp
heard
&
b
mu sic- in the fields, and
p
mar vel- ing- could not tell
3
3
&
b
mu sic in the fields,
p
mar vel- ing- could not tell
3
3
&
‹
b
mu sic- in the fields,
p
mar vel- ing- could not
3
3
?
b
mu sic- in the fields
p
3
&
b
whe ther it were an gels,- or the bright
3
stars sing ing.-
&
b
whe ther it were an gels,- or the bright stars sing ing.-
&
‹
b
tell whe ther it were an gels,- or the bright stars sing ing.-
?
b
whe ther it were an gels,- or the bright stars sing ing.-
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Coleridge - Noël: Christmas Eve 1913
www.matthewcoleridge.com
4
Music by Matthew Coleridge
www.matthewcoleridge.com | [email protected]
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