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Cradle Song
A Christmas carol for unison choir, with occasional divisi, and piano
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You are purchasing high quality sheet music PDF files suitable for printing or viewing on digital devices.A new Christmas carol by Philip Le Bas for unison voices (with occasional divisi) and piano, setting the words of William Blake's poem "A Cradle Song" from his collection entitled "Songs of Innocence".
The very title of Blake's poem calls out for it to be set to music. Indeed the poem is a straightforward lullaby for the first few stanzas, sung softly by a mother over her sleeping baby, as she marvels at the wonder of this beautiful infant and expresses her love for the child. Her own anxieties and weeping for the child remind her of the Christ-child who also wept as a vulnerable baby. But as God incarnate he "wept for me, for thee, for all", and brought peace to heaven and earth. (Blake uses the word" beguile" perhaps to indicate the paradoxical nature of a weeping God bringing redemption to a suffering world by becoming a vulnerable human baby himself.)
The composition aims to avoid unnecessary complexity in the vocal parts, so that it can be sung easily particularly by a parish choir. However, it also attempts to capture some of the beauty, drama and mystery of the scene expressed by Blake. The piece begins and ends in stillness, and there are gentle climaxes here and there, reflecting some of the rise and fall of the poem's lyrics.
It could be sung by a mixed or single-voice choir, but note should always be taken of the predominantly quiet dynamics of the piece, especially in the first half.
A Cradle Song from Songs of Innocence by William Blake (1757-1827)
Sweet dreams, form a shade O'er my lovely infant's head! Sweet dreams of pleasant streams By happy, silent, moony beams!
Sweet Sleep, with soft down Weave thy brows an infant crown! Sweet Sleep, angel mild, Hover o'er my happy child!
Sweet smiles, in the night Hover over my delight! Sweet smiles, mother's smiles, All the livelong night beguiles.
Sweet moans, dovelike sighs, Chase not slumber from thy eyes! Sweet moans, sweeter smiles, All the dovelike moans beguiles.
Sleep, sleep, happy child! All creation slept and smiled. Sleep, sleep, happy sleep, While o'er thee thy mother weep.
Sweet babe, in thy face Holy image I can trace; Sweet babe, once like thee Thy Maker lay, and wept for me:
Wept for me, for thee, for all, When He was an infant small. Thou His image ever see, Heavenly face that smiles on thee!
Smiles on thee, on me, on all, Who became an infant small; Infant smiles are His own smiles; Heaven and earth to peace beguiles.
