Marybeth Kurnat
For TBB choir and piano
This is Christmas Morning!
Come all you weary wanderers beneath the wintry sky; This day forget your worldly cares and lay your sorrows by; Awake, and sing; the church bells ring; For this is Christmas morning!
With grateful hearts salute the morn and swell the streams of song, That laden with great joy are borne, the willing air along; The tidings thrill with right good will; For this is Christmas morning!
We'll twine the fresh green holly wreath and make the yule-log glow; And gather gaily underneath the winking mistletoe; All blithe and bright by the glad fire-light: For this is Christmas morning!
Come, sing the carols old and true that mind us of good cheer, And, like a heavenly fall of dew, revive the drooping year; And fill us up a wassail-cup; For this is Christmas morning!
So now, God bless us, one and all with hearts and hearthstones warm; And may He prosper great and small and keep us out of harm; And teach us still, his sweet good-will, This merry Christmas morning!
-Edwin Waugh (1817-1890)
Composer’s Notes
I heard music in Edwin Waugh’s words from the first time I read “Christmas Morning ” The celebratory nature of the text comes through the rhyme scheme like a dance - it seemed a perfect choice for my first holiday work.
I chose to set this Victorian-era poem in a theme-and-variations form, incorporating a wide range of styles that seem to follow the everlasting beauty and joy of Christmas Day not only from morning until night, but through time itself You can hear influences from Anglican and Lutheran choral traditions, and medieval to modern harmonies and rhythmic figures. The fanfare of morning church bells, a jingling sleigh ride, a toast among friends, and prayers of gratitude envelop the spirit and beloved traditions of the holiday season
Performance Note:
Treat the piano part more as a solo instrument in this work. I recommend using a short stick or open lid so its melodic content doesn’t get lost
Marybeth Kurnat (1987) is an emerging voice in choral music in the Chicago area Her authentic compositional style, especially her harmonic language, is heavily influenced by her musical foundation as a jazz saxophonist Her work, “I, Lover,” was the 2021-22 Winner of the Stephen Paulus Emerging Composer’s Competition, and she was a 2023 Composition Fellow for the PREMIERE| Project Festival. Marybeth holds a B.M. in Music Education from Northern Illinois University, and serves as a music educator in DeKalb, IL She maintains an active performance schedule as a soloist and choral singer with several Chicago-area choirs www marybeth-kurnat com
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