Chilcott Midnight of your birth

The Midnight
of your Birth
5 CAROLS FOR UPPER VOICES

The Midnight
of your Birth
5 CAROLS FOR UPPER VOICES
B

3
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP,
United Kingdom
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.
It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship,
and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of
Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries
© Oxford University Press 2017
Bob Chilcott has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the Composer of these Works
Database right Oxford University Press (maker)
First published 2017
Impression: 1
All rights reserved. erved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission
in writing of Oxford University Press
for online cieperusal
Permission to perform the works in this anthology in public
(except in the course of divine ine worship) should normally be obtained
from the Performing Right Society Ltd
(PRS) at www.prsformusic.com
or a local performing right licensing ng organization, unless the owner or the
occupier of the premises being used already holds a licence from such an
organization. Likewise, permission to make and
exploit a recording must
be obtained in advance from the Mechanical-Copyright Protection
Society Ltd (MCPS) at www.prsformusic.com com or a local
mechanical
copyright licensing organization
Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be
directed to the Music Rights Department, Oxford University Press,
at
music.permissions.uk@oup.com or at the address s above
of only
ISBN 978–0–19–351429–4
Music and text origination by
Katie Johnston
Printed in Great Britain on acid-free paper by
Halstan & Co. Ltd, Amersham, Bucks.

Contents
The Angel did Fly 5
The Blackbird with One White Feather 13
Kindness 17
The Midnight of your Birth 26
The Rain-Tree Carol 34
for online perusal
Composer’s note
This collection is made up of five new carols, setting newly-written poems by my
friend and collaborator, Charles Bennett. Charles and
I have written a number of
carols over the past years and I have always enjoyed ed the way
that his poems come in
at an angle and paint fresh pictures of certain aspects of the
Christmas story. I have
always felt that carols need tunes and I have done my best to write some that might
stick in the memory, to be sung by upper voices, a sound which I
love so much. The
tonly
dedicatees of these carols include an English junior school choir, two distinguished
American children’s choirs, a Japanese ladies choir, and adult women singers with a
mezzo-soprano soloist. I have, in my mind, though, always wanted this set of songs
to share the same feelings of simplicity, freshness, and singability.

for online perusal only

for Paul Mayhew Archer and Parkinson’s UK, Oxford Branch
The Angel did Fly
5
Charles Bennett
(b. 1954)
BOB CHILCOTT
(b. 1955)
r
n
peuu
n
for
online
n
n
perusal
er
only
Duration: c.4 mins
First performed by Clemmie Franks, Commotio, and Tom Poster in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, on 4 December 2016.
Music © Oxford University Press 2017. Text © Charles Bennett. Reproduced by permission of the author. Photocopying this
copyright material is ILLEGAL.

6 The Angel did Fly
o
for
on
e
online
perusal
only

The Angel did Fly 7
pe
er
for
fo
online
perusal
only

8 The Angel did Fly
e
o
for
online
ne
n
perusal
ruu
only
err
n

The Angel did Fly 9
e
for
online
perusal
pe
sa
only

10 The Angel did Fly
for
or
online perusal
pp
only

perusal
The Angel did Fly 11
e
for
online
ne
p rus rru
us
sa l
only

12 The Angel did Fly
for
online
perusal
al
a
l
only

for Louise Taylor and the Chamber Choir of Oxford High Junior School
The Blackbird with One White Feather
13
Charles Bennett
(b. 1954)
BOB CHILCOTT
(b. 1955)
for
ronline
o
p
o e pperus
sal
al
l only
al
Duration: c.2.5 mins
Music © Oxford University Press 2017. Text © Charles Bennett. Reproduced by permission of the author. Photocopying this
copyright material is ILLEGAL.

14 The Blackbird with One White Feather
r
o
n
online
for
on
lin
ne
perusal
only
nly

The Blackbird with One White Feather 15
o
ly
ffor
online
o ne
r
ine
perusal
usa
only

16 The Blackbird with One White Feather
f
for
online
ne
ne
perus usal
l
us
only
nly

for Keiichi Asai, Shizuka Saeki, and the K yoto Ladies Singers
Kindness
(A raven flew to Bethlehem)
17
Charles Bennett
(b. 1954)
BOB CHILCOTT
(b. 1955)
for r
online
pperus
usa
sal
al
rus only
onl
Duration: c.3.5 mins
Music © Oxford University Press 2017. Text © Charles Bennett. Reproduced by permission of the author. Photocopying this
copyright material is ILLEGAL.

18 Kindness
o
for
online
ne
perusal
lonly
ly
sa
nlyy y

Kindness 19
for online
o
on
ne
e
p
perusal
pe russs
us sal
al
l only
o

20 Kindness
e
for
o
online
nli
f
e
perusal
p er ru us
l
only

Kindness 21
for
for
o
online
ne n
perusal
only

22 Kindness
fo
for
online
on nl
nli
perusal
sal only
only

Kindness 23
e
y
for
online
ne
on
per
eru
ru
ru usal
l
only
oon

24 Kindness
n
e
for
online
perusal
only
l
us
sa al

Kindness 25
for online
perusal
pee
sal
o
only
on
ly y

26
Commissioned for the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus
by The Cleveland Orchestra, Music Director Franz W elser-Möst
The Midnight of your Birth
Charles Bennett
(b. 1954)
for
or
or
o
online
perusal
o
only
BOB CHILCOTT
(b. 1955)
Duration: c.3.5 mins
An accompaniment for small orchestra (fl, ob, cl, bsn, hn, str) is available on rental from the publisher’s Hire Library or
appropriate agent.
Music © Oxford University Press 2017. Text © Charles Bennett. Reproduced by permission of the author. Photocopying this
copyright material is ILLEGAL.

The Midnight of your Birth 27
sa
for
online
e perusal
ppe
usa
fo
only

28 The Midnight of your Birth
for online
onl ne peru
rusal
sal
r
s
onl onl
only

The Midnight of your Birth 29
for
online
eperusal
on
only

30 The Midnight of your Birth
for
y
online ne
perusal
p
al only

fo
r
The Midnight of your Birth 31
for
or
online
onl
u
perusal
only

32 The Midnight of your Birth
p
for online
e
neeperusal
us
only

The Midnight of your Birth 33
for
f
oon nli
online
onl
nli ine perus
usa
sal
l
us
sal
onl
nly

34
for Barbara Berner, Adrienne Broyles, and the St Louis Children’s Choirs
The Rain -Tree Carol
Charles Bennett
(b. 1954)
BOB CHILCOTT
(b. 1955)
for
or
r online
or
o e perusal
uus
sa
on
only
Duration: c.3 mins
Music © Oxford University Press 2017. Text © Charles Bennett. Reproduced by permission of the author. Photocopying this
copyright material is ILLEGAL.

The Rain-Tree Carol 35
or
online
e n
perusal
peru
on only
al on on

36 The Rain-Tree Carol
for
online
o ne perusal
a
only
oon
ly ly

The Rain-Tree Carol 37
p
for online
line
neeperusal
u sal
a
only
sa

38 The Rain-Tree Carol
nl
o
y
for
or online
ine
perusal
l o only

for
The Rain-Tree Carol 39
foo
or r
online
n
perusal
u
e
r
o
only

40 The Rain-Tree Carol
for online
ne
n
perusal
on
only
on

The Midnight of your Birth is a charming collection of five carols by Bob Chilcott
for upper voices and piano. Equally suited to women’s choirs and youth choirs, the
carols range from unison (‘The Blackbird with One White Feather’) to three parts, with
one (‘The Angel did Fly’) featuring a mezzo-soprano solo. The texts, all by long-term
collaborator Charles Bennett, weave an imagery of birds and the natural world with the
Christmas narrative. Chilcott’s music is the perfect match, combining characteristically
singable melodies with pleasing harmonic colours, buoyant syncopation, and tender
reflection. Containing five fresh and accessible carols, this book is the ideal addition to any
upper-voice choir’s library.
Photo: © Vicky Alhadeff
has been involved with choral music all his
life, first as a Chorister and then a Choral Scholar at King’s
College, Cambridge. Later, he sang and composed music for
twelve years with The King’s Singers. His experiences with
that group, his passionate commitment to young and amateur
choirs, and his profound belief that music can unite people,
have inspired him both to compose full-time and, through
proactive workshopping, to promote choral music worldwide.
Have you tried?
Five songs for upper voices (ISBN 978–0–19–335920–8)
For Him all Stars (ISBN 978–0–19–335569–9)
Furusato (ISBN 978–0–19–339082–9)
Hark, hark, the lark (ISBN 978–0–19–340615–5)
World Carols for Choirs (ISBN 978–0–19–353232–8)
Cover image: © Jutta Kuss/Getty Images
ISBN 978-0-19-351429-4
9 780193 514294