Beattie, Simon - The Little One

This Christmas carol was written in 2009 for the senior choir of Dr Challoner’s High School in Buckinghamshire, England. The text, taken from the 17th-century clergyman Joseph Beaumont’s poem ‘Christmasse Day’ (‘Wonder’s birthday, which mak’st December’s face fairer than May’), portrays the birth of Christ from the perspective of a cold, winter’s day. A sense of mystery prevails as cluster chords emerge from simple unisons with clever but gentle interplay between the parts. However, the harmonic exploration always returns home to middle C, which acts as an anchor throughout the piece. With frequent divisi, sometimes in four to six parts, ‘The Little One’ offers a challenging but magical new addition to the upper-voice Christmas repertoire.