for mixed voices (SATB with divisi) a cappella
Text: English (Sara Teasdale)
Duration: c2 minutes
Difficulty: 3/5
Use: Christmas, Angels

This carol sets the final three verses of Sara Teasdale’s light-hearted retelling of the nativity story, in which a host of angels arrive at the stable, and herald the birth with their joyful song. This piece is characterised by a buoyant ‘Alleluia’ motif, lifted staccato notes, and by the lively rhythm which is constantly alternating between 7/8 and compound time. Each verse ends with a sequential refrain beginning in the upper voices in a nod to the structure of traditional Christmas carols. The ending of the carol, using silence and repetition, is intended to bring the last line of poetry to life in a humorous way!

Text
The angels came from heaven high,
And they were clad with wings;
And lo, they brought a joyful song
The host of heaven sings.

Alleluia!

The kings they knocked upon the door,
The wise men entered in,
The shepherds followed after them
To hear the song begin.

Alleluia!

The angels sang through all the night
Until the rising sun,
But little Jesus fell asleep
Before the song was done.

Sing alleluia!

Sara Teasdale (without alleluias) (1884–1933)

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.