Mark-Anthony Turnage: Three Night Carols

  
Christmas Night (for sopranos and altos with piano or organ)

Claremont Carol (for sopranos and optional altos with piano or organ)

Misere nobis (for unaccompanied SATB)

Turnage's exquisite Three Night Carols demonstrate the composer's characteristic harmonic and melodic originality in miniature. The rich textures of the unaccompanied, mixed-voice Misere nobis (written for the choir of King's College, Cambridge, and performed at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve, 2006) contrast with the far simpler Christmas Night and Claremont Carol, for S(A) and piano or organ. The texts comprise a medieval English carol also set by Gustav Holst, a beautiful poem by the Right Rev William Ind, former Bishop of Truro, and the famous "Silent night, holy night" of Joseph Mohr. Difficulty: easy/intermediate