EACH JUBILANT CHORD
Musical settings of Thomas Traherne

Patrick Larley (b.1951)

On Christmas Day– A Christmas Sequence for Mezzo Soprano, Choir and Organ

A sequence of seven pieces, of which numbers 1,3 and 7 set verses from Traherne’s poem On Christmas-Day.

1.Shake off thy sloth (for Choir and Organ) sets stanza 2

Shake off thy sloth, my drouzy Soul, awake;
With Angels sing
Unto thy King,
And pleasant musick make;
Thy Lute, thy Harp, or els thy Heart-strings take,
And with thy Musick let thy Sense awake.
To fix his Ivy on the walls,
Transplanted there it seems to grow
As if it rooted were below:
Thus He, who is thy King,
Makes Winter, Spring.

3.’Twas Thou that gavest (for Choir and Organ) sets stanza 7

’Twas thou that gav’st us caus for fine Attires;
Ev’n thou, O King,
As in the Spring,
Dost warm us with thy fires
Of Lov: Thy Blood hath bought us new Desires
Thy Righteousness doth cloath with new Attires.
Made fresh and fine let me appear
This Day divine, to close the Year;
Among the rest let me be seen
A living Branch and always green,
Think it a pleasant thing
Thy Prais to sing.

7.At break of day (for Choir and Organ) sets stanza 8

At break of Day, O how the Bells did ring?
To thee, my King,
The Bells did ring;
To thee the Angels sing:
Thy Goodness did produce this other Spring,
For this it is they make the Bells to ring:
The sounding Bells do throu the Air
Proclaim thy Welcom far and near;
While I alone with Thee inherit
All these Joys, beyond my Merit.
Who would not always sing
To such a King?

Published: Patrick Larley 2002

The Salutation

A setting for SATB of verses 1,3,6 and 7 from Traherne’s poem with the same title.

Published: chudleigh music