This is a new composition of mine that the Chamber Singers performed on this most recent Christmas Festival. It’s actually an extensive reworking of an earlier work of mine, called “Weary the World.”
This recording is a bit distant, but it at least gives you some idea of the piece and of the lovely performance of the Chamber Singers. Be sure to listen for the solo trio in the middle of the piece, which featured my the three seniors who have been in the group without interruption since they were freshmen: Marian Repp, Christian Aldridge, and Peter Burch.
(Women:) Weary the world …. weary and cold … heavy with burdens and cares untold ….
Weary the world … waiting for a sign …. watching for a star in the east to shine.
Watching and waiting and wondering why the
(Men:) Quiet the choir … silent the night … Shadows engulf every hint of night.
Everything we see …. everything we know …. frozen in the cold and unyielding snow.
Heavy and hurting, our hearts in vain …. long for love to shine again.
(All:) O Lumine ….. O Splendid Light ….. Amplificus …… Embrace our Night.
Let all the darkness of our sorrows …. give way to bright and new tomorrows.
O splendid light, illumine our night.
(Women:) Through the rising and falling of centuries, we have heard in the voice of prophecies
that the lame shall arise and the blind given eyes and a choir of angels shall fill the skies.
(All:) O Lord, quickly come! The world has wait O so long!
(Trio:) Come, O Come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel.
That mourns in lowly exile here – until the Son of God appears.
(All:) O Lumine … O Splendid Light … Amplificus … Embrace our Night.
Let all the darkness of our sorrows …. give way to bright and new tomorrows.
O splendid light, illumine our night.