for mixed voices (SATB div) a cappella
Text: English (Anon, 19th century)
Duration: c4'30''
Difficulty: 3/5
Use: Christmas

This new setting of the traditional text is intended to offer a darker interpretation of the carol. The universally recognised words of Away in a manger are usually associated with one of two well-known melodies. This setting reflects the sometimes-forgotten humility and darkness of the nativity scene, using a folklike minor-mode refrain, and by capturing the lilting atmosphere of a lullaby. Although the carol is structured around three versions of a simple, balanced melody – one for each verse – each verse is characterised by different choral textures to complement the nuance of the text. Darker harmonies are punctuated with more hopeful moments – references to the stars, and the line ‘I love thee’ – these are marked with brighter sounds and upward melodic gestures woven into the shape of the verse. The final verse shows a more grounded feeling of hope through the use of the major inflection, featuring lighter and warmer tonal colours as we turn our thoughts ‘heaven’-wards.

Text
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
And stay by my side until morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And take us to heaven to live with thee there.

Lucy Walker
Lucy Walker is an award-winning composer, pianist and music educator from the North-East of England, currently based in Cambridge. Since completing her postgraduate studies at Gonville & Caius College, where she was a Choral Scholar, in 2021, Lucy has received numerous high-profile commissions. Composing highlights for Lucy so far include her first BBC Radio 3 commission, sung by the BBC Singers, in celebration of International Women’s Day; composing an introit for the first ever Evensong broadcast by the Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge; and, most recently, being appointed Composer-in-Residence with St Martin’s Voices, at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. Lucy’s works have been frequently broadcast on national radio, featured on commercial recordings, and are gaining popularity in performance across Europe and the US. Lucy is passionate about making music, especially choral music, accessible and inclusive, and her compositions aim to reflect this mission.