Walker, Lucy - We shall walk

for mixed voices (SATB with divisi) a cappella
Text: English (Elinor Wylie)
Duration: c3 minutes
Difficulty: 3/5
Use: Christmas, Winter

Adapted from ‘Velvet Shoes’ by Elinor Wylie, the text of this carol portrays the tranquil, almost eerie, atmosphere of walking alone in fresh snow. The musical setting reflects scenery, with a soaring soprano line and freely flowing melody, which is reharmonised and redirected in each verse to emphasise the nuances of the poetry. Time signatures change frequently to accommodate the natural flow of the text, and the sound world draws on modal, almost folk- like harmonies, with shifting musical colours driven by semitones and swirling chord progressions. The carol ends as quietly as it began, with a soprano solo.

Text
[We shall] walk in the white snow
In a soundless space;
With footsteps quiet and slow,
At a tranquil pace,
Under veils of white lace.

We shall walk through the still town
In a windless peace;
We shall step upon white down,
[On] silver fleece,
[On] softer than these.

We shall walk in velvet shoes:
Wherever we go
Silence will fall like dews
On white silence below.
We shall walk in the snow.

Adapted from Velvet Shoes by Elinor Wylie (1885–1928)