I Saw a Sweet and Seemly Sight (TTBB)

Information

A calm and gentle Christmas song, to be sung like a lullaby. Commissioned by the Swedish male voice ensemble Svanholm Singers and their conductor Sofia Söderberg.

The composer writes:

”In this piece I have used a melody from the 15th century as my main compositional element. I started improvising with the main theme in my mind and ended up rocking two chords back and forth, as a lullaby. /…/ For me, the image described in the lyrics, a mother singing her newborn baby to sleep, became a sad story considering that she is a refugee having to deliver her baby in a stable. The ending features a solo humming. A sad image of Mary singing for her baby, trying to bring some comfort to him in the only way she can.”

Also available for SATB.

Listen on YouTube.