An Analytical and Educational Survey of Howard Hanson's Dies ...

16four measures that are not present in the orchestral version are included in the bandversion of the finale. These measures emphasize harmony and add syncopated accents inthe percussion by extending the phrase.All of the variations, as well as the introduction and finale of the piece, arederived from the chorale, based on a Lutheran Christmas hymn celebrating the birth ofChrist. The title, Dies Natalis, is Latin for "day of birth." The Carl Fischer score quotesHanson on the hymn tune:"I used to sing it as a boy in the Swedish Lutheran Church of Wahoo, Nebraska.This chorale has, without a doubt, been the greatest single musical influence inmy life as a composer. Traces of the chorale appear in my early orchestral work,Lux Aeterna, and in sections of my opera, Merry Mount. The chorale form hasalso influenced my Chorale and Alleluia for band and my fourth and fifthsymphonies for orchestra." (Hanson, 1973, foreword)The chorale tune Wie schon leuchtet der Morgenstern by Philipp Nicolai (1 556-1608) has several variations on text set to the same original chorale tune and is thereforeknown under multiple titles, including All Hail to You, O Blessed Morn, How LovelyShines the Morning Star, and Rejoice, Rejoice this Happy Morn. The English adaptationof Philipp Nicolai' s original text is represented in the appendix with the traditionalchorale hymn tune.The original German text and its translation are also provided in theappendix.