Church Music

This is another touching nativity scene in song from Patricia Smith’s new collection for Advent and Christmas, And the Angels Sang.

When you look at Willow for the sheet music there is the keyboard arrangement from the folio, but also SAB, clarinet and cello parts that would get everyone playing and singing.

Normally I just use the chords, the melody and BIAB to make backings. Smith gives no chords here so I had to nut them out, but I also entered a lot of her keyboard part into the arrangement for a change.

1 When Christ was born, they laid him in a manger, warm and dry,

Where ox and ass bowed their heads our hearts we bow.

2 When Peace was born, they wrapped him in a new cloth, soft and white

Which willing hands had woven strong our wills we bend.

3 When Joy was born, the night was filled with singing: “Gloria!”

The stars, unpinned, hung over his bed. Homage we bring.

4 When Love was born, the shepherds ran to see him, hearts on fire.

They stood and gazed, weeping for love. God with us.

© 2014 P A Smith administered by Willow Publishing

This is a folk styled song about the three wise men, with a profound meditation of what gifting can be. I don’t know if this story with the twist in the final stanza is original to Patricia Smith, or is a tradition that I have yet to come across. It’s great nonetheless.

It can be purchased in the collection, And the Angels Sang, or as separate pieces of sheet music.

I’m in a little secular group of singers here and we might give this one a go for Christmas. I usually choke up by the fourth and fifth verse – curse you Patricia for making me feel things – so I will have to practice. I found I needed to be careful to get a breath in before long phrases.

I made two backings, which usually means I had second thoughts about the first one.

1 Three travellers came riding over mountains and plains,

To a town that was ravaged by famine and plague.

They went to pass by but a cry held them there,

A cry from the depths of a heart, close to despair.

2 “We’ll rest here tonight,” the first said to his friends.

In the morning they took up their journey again.

They came to a place, they had seen from afar,

A stable made holy and bright by the light of a star.

3 The each asked the others, “What gift did you bring?

Our gifts for the child must be fit for a king.”

The first said dejected, “I gave all my gold

To a mother to feed her young baby, starving and cold.”

4 The second one told them, “I brought frankincence,

But I gave it to a woman whose child was near death.”

“Ah no!” cried the third, “for the myrrh that I had

I gave to a mother to bury here only son.

5 The stable door opened and the threec rept inside.

They found a young maiden with a glorious child,

And laid out before them, gifts costly and rare,

For the child and his mother, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

© 2023 P A Smith published by Willow Publishing.

This collection [And the Angels Sang from Patrica Smith] has some thoughtful songs sung from the perspective of Mary – they are unsettling and mysterious in a good way. This is just such a song. Her text is here married to a setting she has created that is just gorgeous, but will need delicate care and is best as a short solo I suspect.

If you aren’t buying the collection, she has put the individual sheets up for sale by download so everyone can get their copy.

My BIAB arrangement is never going to match her piano arrangement, but since I can’t play that, I made this:

1 The child that stirs beneath my heart,

Waking the hope and joy that fill me,

Will one day stand, facing death and battle,

My only child, my joy. Mmm-mm, mmm-mm.

2 The child that rests beneath my heart,

Light at the distant end of longing,

Will one day charge other longing hearts

With Love beyond all love. Mmm-mm, mmm-mm.

3 The child that waits beneath my heart,

Hearing a voice that no-one else hears,

The shining sun in my fragile hands,

Is Light to end all darkness. Mmm-mm, mmm-mm.

© 2018 P A Smith published by Willow Publishing

This is a song plotting the expectations of the three wise men, from Patrica Smith’s And the Angels Sang. This would particularly good for an end of year celebration sung by a choir, with the assembly invited to participate as it morphs into “O Come All Ye Faithful” at the end.

The sheet music for this piece can also be purchased separately at Willow.

My backing doesn’t really work but will give you the idea of the tune if you don’t read music. Otherwise, do check out the preview score at Willow. My backing sort of collapses into “O come let us adore him”. What she asked for was for the music to get slower and louder there. I use BIAB as a music sketch pad so the results vary.

I’d love to see a YouTube clip if if you do this song for Christmas this year.

1 We came to worship a king, a king of might and power,

A king of wealth, a king of glory.

We came to worship a king, with gifts costly and rare.

We looked for him in palaces, we followed a mighty star.

Refrain 1

We found God’s little one, warm in his mother’s arms,

Wrapped in a shepherd’s cloak, his bed of straw.

We found God’s little one, bathed in candlelight.

Only the ox and ass before him knelt.

2 We came to worship a king, his throne a manger,

The guard at his side wore a carpenter’s belt.

The calls of cattle rang from walls of barest wood,

And a floor of trodden earth, cold under the stars.

Refrain 2

We found God’s little one, throned in peace and joy,

Robed and crowned with love and gentleness.

The song of angels rang, “Hope of all the world.”

The earth and sky above rejoiced and sang.

O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him,

O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

We came to worship a King…

© 2008 P A Smith administered by Willow Publishing.

And the Angels Sang is Patricia Smith’s new collection for Advent and Christmas. I have been going through the collection and have found a lot of songs for end of year celebrations for choirs, assemblies and schools.

She has once again chosen an old tune COVENTRY CAROL for this one, using the traditional lyrics for a refrain and adding new verses that evoke the Advent theme of watchful waiting. I haven’t seen an arrangement with a refrain before so that might be Smith’s idea.

The sheet music is available at Willow.

Refrain

Lully, lulla, thou little tiny child, by by, lully, lullay.

1 Softly we watch through darkest night, waiting for light to wake.

Into this world of dark and sin, Wisdom has found its way.

2 While this world waits for Heaven’s sign, swiftly, without a sound,

To heal the heart of humankind, silent the Word stoops down.

3 Mary with joy her answers makes, op’ning the way to light,

And in the place of perfect grace quickens the Lord of life.

Text © 2014 P A Smith administered by Willow Publishing

This is another new carol from Patricia Smith from her collection And the Angel Sang. This is a gentle song but I think it will survive choir and assembly. It is basically an audio nativity scene.

The individual sheet music is available at Willow.

This backing I kept simple for a change and let BIAB do its fingerpicking best:

1 See how he rests with his tiny hand under his cheek,

His breath barely stirring the straw in the manger bed!

See how the angels rejoice, the earth is singing for joy!

Come now and worship him, come now and worship the Lord!

2 See how he stretches and opens his eyes to the light,

Whose gaze dims the stars leaning down from the heavens above!

See how the darkness has fled before the Light of the world!

Come now and worship him, come now and worship the Lord!

3 Watch as he nestles so warm in his young mothers arms,

While shepherds and kings, kneel before him with worshiping hearts!

Let every heart offer praise before the throne of grace!

Come now and worship him, come now and worship the Lord!

Come now and worship him, come now and worship the Lord!

© 2021 P A Smith published by Willow Publishing

Patricia Smith uses O WALY WALY again for another new text she has written in her collection And the Angels Sang.

This has Mary singing to her baby and as such is suitable for end of year celebrations and Christmas celebrations. As for the previous song, her arrangement has a key change from E to G for the fourth verse and then echoing each line.

You can get the sheet music in the collection of as an individual purchase at Willow.

1 My darling son, my hearts delight,

Love born of love, light born of light,

Sleep softly now, my little one,

Sleep softly now, my darling son.

2 Fear not the dark, fear not the night,

For here we know the world’s true light.

Sleep softly now, my little one,

Sleep softly now, my darling son.

3 At the mangerside the shepherds kneel,

Adoring here their Shepherd King.

Sleep softly now, my little one,

Sleep softly now, my darling son.

4 Hear the angels sing great songs of joy!

Just so my heart for this little boy.

Sleep softly now, my little one,

Sleep softly now, my darling son.

© 2018 P A Smith published by Willow Publishing.

Continuing my survey of Patricia Smith’s essential resource for Advent and Christmas, And the Angels Sang, we come to this chant to the familar tune of O WALY WALY. There are minimal words and much repetition, which works very well. She changes key for the third verse from E to G and uses each line echoed.

The sheet music can be purchased at Willow.

1 Maranatha, Lord Jesus, come!

Maranatha, into our hearts.

Maranatha, Maranatha!

Lord Jesus, come! Lord Jesus come!

2 Prepare the way for the Lord to come!

Lift the valleys up, make the mountains low!

Maranatha, Maranatha!

Lord Jesus, come! Lord Jesus Come!

Verse 3 = verse 1 with echo

© 2018 P A Smith published by Willow Publishing.

See Chris’s suggestion below to use CONDITOR ALME SIDERUM as an alternative setting.

This is clever. Patrica Smith has written a new setting for the Christina Rossetti’s text that can sung simultaneously with “Away in a Manger”, which opens up all sorts of options for both performance and participation.

It is from her new collection for Advent and Christmas called And the Angels Sang.

The sheet music is available in three versions at Willow.

My backing has the counter melody over the fourth verse.

1 Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely, love divine;

Love was born at Christmas, star and angels gave the sign.

2 Worship we the Godhead, love incarnate, love divine;

Worship we our Jesus: but wherewith the sacred sign?

3 Love shall be our token, love be yours and love be mine;

Love to God and all men, love for plea, and gift, and sign.

4 Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely, love divine.

Love was born at Christmas. Star and angels gave the sign.