Lynch's most ambitious work to date, this piece (in its string orchestra version) was also premiered at the Christmas 2009 Chicago Master Singers concerts. A tuneful but occasionally difficult piece for the chorus, with minimal divisi.
| FVM 1003 | The Shepherds Sing (SATB & piano or organ) |
1.99 |
| FVM 1003s | The Shepherds Sing (SATB & strings fs+3/3/2/2/1) |
35.00 |
| FVM 1003x | Additional string parts for The Shepherds Sing, each |
1.00 |
| Duration: 4:00 minutes | ||
| Text: George Herbert and F.L. Lynch | ||
| Music: Francis L. Lynch © 2009 | ||
| View Sample Page | Listen (piano acc.) | Listen (strings acc.) | ||
Text: Lynch extracted the text from George Herbert's poem "Christmas" and added some material of his own to make a compact and meaningful Christmas anthem.
O Thou, whose glorious, yet contracted light,
Wrapped in night’s mantle, stole into a manger;
Since my dark soul, so brutish, is thy right,
To man of all beasts be not thou a stranger:
Furnish and deck my soul, that thou mayst have
A better lodging than a rack or grave.
“Glory to God.”
The shepherds sing; and shall we silent be?
My God, no hymn for Thee?
We must, in thanks for Thy most precious gift,
In praise to you our voices lift;
To Thee Who sent to us Thine only son,
With shepherds now we sing as one.
“Glory to God,” the shepherds sing,
And in the sky the angel voices ring.
“Glory to God, in Heav’n above!”
The Father sends His only Son in love.
The shepherds sing, nor shall we silent be!
Our God, this hymn for Thee!
We must, in thanks for Thy most precious gift,
In praise to you our voices lift;
To Thee Who sent to us Thine only son,
With shepherds now we sing as one.