Your Christmas present, for home use

Anna_Bendiksen

Grace and peace, everyone. Here is my Christmas present to you and your families, designed to be sung at home in the presence of a Christmas tree! Text, tune, and harmonization all my originals. I've named the 8.6.8.6. tune ARBOR VITAE for obvious reasons. Feedback most gratefully received, and if anyone is interested, I'll even throw in my glogg recipe.

1. O Jesus Christ, we sing Thy birth
Around the Christmas tree,
And mark Thy life once lived on earth,
Thy Cross and victory.

2. What happy fault, that Adam fell
And path of exile trod;
The second Adam's Tree shall tell
The mercies of our God!

3. The faithful ones of Israel
Kept watch in verdant Word
Now born in Thee, Emmanuel,
Our Love and Life and Lord!

4. Thy Body sweet knew death and pain
Upon the Cross of wood;
All for to rise and live again
And render sinners good.

5. What fragrance of Nativity!
In grace shall it ascend
As prayers of wise men rise to Thee,
Our guiding Star and Friend.

6. O Jesus Christ, we praise Thy birth,
And Cross, and Christmas tree,
And mark Thy life for Heav'n and earth,
Eternal victory!

(c) 2023 Anna Bendiksen (b. 1969)

ServiamScores

This could just about be sung at Mass if you change “Christmas tree” to “roodë tree”.

In any case, I quite like it.

Anna_Bendiksen

Thanks, @ServiamScores, that is most kind.

M. Jackson Osborn

A very nice tune.

You may want to know (if you don't already) that you have double parallel octaves between two voices (S-T & A-B) on beats two and three of measure one.

Also, you have direct octaves between tenor and bass of beats three and four of the penultimate measure, and between soprano and bass in mm. 4-1 of the last two mm.

Congratulations on a very fine tune!

Anna_Bendiksen

Ack. Thanks for your kind words and great catches, MJO. Going to fix now.

Anna_Bendiksen

Fixed.

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