Thus begins Diane Benjamin’s Solstice Carol, a straightforward and tuneful work celebrating winter solstice. Its beauty is in the simplicity of line and message, devoted to the subject of darkness, light and renewal.
A newly engraved edition of the original version for women’s chorus and piano was made available just last year, and Diane recently arranged the piece for mixed chorus and piano as well. Click on the links to view a partial scores as downloadable PDFs.
Among Winter Solstice pieces in the YRM catalog which were composed initially for women’s chorus, Sacred Circle by Ruth Huber has been one of the most popular for more than 10 years! Her spirited melody touches not only on specific Winter Solstice symbols and meanings, but it gives a wink and a nod to other traditional holidays of the season.
Ruth writes the following:
My first chorus, Tapestry (the Austin Women’s Chorus) was invited to take part in a holiday concert with other choruses in Houston… I believe. It was a big event for us and we were excited to go, but what to sing? I wanted something that would celebrate the connection between traditional holiday carols and ancient Winter Solstice rites, using the symbol of the wreath to unite and include everyone. Such a piece didn’t exist. So I wrote it, and the wonderful women of Tapestry learned it in just a few weeks… shifting meters, key changes and all!
Ruth was kind enough to indulge our request that she prepare a voicing/arrangement of the piece for mixed chorus as well, and we’re happy to announce that it is now available! She also prepared a new edition of the SSA voicing which contains some minor revisions.
Los Angeles is experiencing a heat-wave right now, and it seems odd to be writing a blog entry about a piece called A New December right before the Fourth of July! But seeing how the summer months are indeed the time when many choruses are planning ahead for their holiday concerts and making their programming decisions, it felt right to feature this particular work today.
With both original words and music by David Frank Long, this piece expresses many sentiments associated with the Winter Solstice. In particular, it addresses the subtle ironies of the season… that although it is a time when…
days are shorter now,
darker the sky,
colder blows the wind,
as nature sleeps all around us
… it’s the turning point of the year, marking a fresh start as the cycle of life begins again.
It also gives a nod to other holiday celebrations, noting that December is a time when people in general are celebrating light and beauty, providing a tie-in with both Christmas and Hanukkah festivities.
For it’s a new December!
And even though it’s winter,
There’s a brighter hope,
A deeper joy,
And a warmer love, love, love.
It almost seems like springtime!
The chorus sings in colorful, bold harmonies above a gentle, flowing piano accompaniment.
A New December is available for mixed chorus, women’s chorus and men’s chorus. Click on each voicing to view the first four pages of score as a PDF. The recording is of the voicing for TTB, featuring the Tenor & Bass sections of the West Coast Singers.
