Composition Details
- Composed by: Stephen Paulus
- Published by: European American Music Corp
- Cat No: EA 511
- Canadian Work: No
- Duration: 2:30
Performed in Concert
In Collections
Program Notes:
The unfolding of this simple melody by celebrated Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus sets the stage and the tone for today’s telling of the story of the birth of Christ.
Conductor Notes:
Scored for two voices any combination with keyboard (we used piano), this piece would be a beautiful, flexible addition to many concert situations. It’s been in my files for years (copyright 1975) but finally jumped out at me as a perfect introit to our annual Christmas concert in 2011. We surrounded the audience and took it down a semitone simply to make a smoother transition into the next piece.
Text:
Down in a valley, sing hallelu.
Mary had a baby, sing hallelu.
What did she name Him, sing hallelu?
Named Him Jesus, hallelu.