Duration: c. 2'
Poem by Pat Silver.
DETAILS
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer or direct from Presser.
ALSO AVAILABLE for Voice with Brass Quintet.
PROGRAM NOTES
In late 1980 I received a Christmas card from Pat Silver, a graphic designer who
had written a short poem and illustrated it for her annual Christmas card. I
replied by setting Pat's poem to music, changing a few words to fit my idea of
the song. I called the song Christmas and it was premiered with that
title by Jody Applebaum in 1985, with Marc-André Hamelin at the piano.
In 1999
I adapted it for 2-part treble chorus and also created a brass quintet
accompaniment for soprano Yukiko Ishida's performances in Tokyo.
Also in 1999,
the 2-part choral version went into production at Elkan-Vogel; just before going
to press under the title Christmas, my colleagues pointed out that
despite the origin of the poem, it's not a nativity song though it could be used
at Christmas season; more appropriate would be Easter or throughout the year. We
retitled it from the line He Is Love to best express the meaning of the
song.
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