Patrick Arthur Sheldon Hadley

Studied at Cambridge University and the Royal College of Music. He composed chamber music and works for chorus and orchestra, of which this is one.

My beloved spake

My beloved spake, and said unto me, 
Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; 
The flowers appear on the earth; 
the time of the singing of birds is come, 
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; 
The fig-tree putteth forth her green figs, 
and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. 
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Song of Solomon 2

George Frederic Handel (1685-1759)

He shall feed his flock

He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: 
He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, 
and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Come unto Him, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, 
and He will give you rest.
Take His yoke upon you, and learn of Him; 
for He is meek and lowly of heart: 
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Isaiah 40:11, Matthew 11:28-29; from 'Messiah'

His yoke is easy

His yoke is easy, His burthen is light.
Matthew 11:30; from 'Messiah'

Jakob Handl (1550-1591)

He held important court and church positions in Vienna and Ptague and was a prolific writer of masses and motets.

The righteous perisheth

The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart, 
and merciful men are taken away, 
none considering that the righteous is taken from the evil. 
He entereth into peace. 
In peace is his place found, and his dwelling is in Sion.
Isaiah 57

William Henry Harris (1883-1973)

He studied at the Royal College of Music, where he later became a professor, and was organist of New College, Oxford, Christ Church Cathedral and St. George's Chapel, Windsor.

Behold now, praise the Lord

Behold now, praise the Lord : all ye servants of the Lord;
Ye that by night stand in the house of the Lord : even in the courts of the house of our God. 
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary : and praise the Lord. 
The Lord that made heaven and earth : give thee blessing out of Sion.
Psalm 134

Faire is the heaven

Faire is the heaven where happy soules have place 
In full enjoyment of felicitie;
Whence they do still behold the glorious face 
Of the Divine, Eternall Majestie;

Yet farre more faire be those bright Cherubins 
Which all with golden wings are overdight.
And those eternall burning Seraphins 
Which from their faces dart out fiery light; 

Yet fairer than they both and much more bright 
Be the Angels and Archangels 
Which attend on God's owne person without rest or end. 
These then in faire each other farre excelling 
As to the Highest they approach more neare, 
Yet is that Highest farre beyond all telling 

Fairer than all the rest which there appeare 
Though all their beauties joynd together were; 
How then can mortal tongue hope to expresse 
The image of such endlesse perfectnesse?
Edmund Spenser

Holy is the true light

Holy is the True Light, and passing wonderful,
lending radiance to them that endured in the heat of the conflict,
from Christ they inherit a home of unfading splendour,
wherein they rejoice with gladness evermore.
Alleluia!
from the Salisbury Diurnal by GH Palmer

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

Both in music and in conversation he cheered people by his happy touches of Croatian peasant humour or won their sympathy with his single minded Croatian religious feeling, and he had the Croatian love of what is called 'sport', so that on the princely estate where for many years his musical duties were performed the saying was proverbial: 'As good a shot and fisherman as Haydn.' His oratorio, "The Creation", admirably reflects the simple devotion of its author - "Never was I so pious as when I was composing this work; I knelt down daily and prayed God to strengthen me for it."

In the Beginning

[Raphael] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth;
and the earth was without form and void; 
and darkness was upon the face of the deep. 
[Chorus] And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
[Uriel] And God saw the light, that it was good:
and God divided the light from the darkness.
from "The Creation"

Insanae et vanae curae

Insanae et vanae curae invadunt mentes nostras. 
Saepe furore replent corda, privata spe. 
Quid prodest, O mortalis, conari pro mundanis, 
si coelos negligas? 
Sunt fausta tibi cuncta, si Deus est pro te.

The Heavens are telling

The Heavens are telling the glory of God, 
The wonder of his work displays the firmament. 

Today that is coming speaks it the day, 
The night that is gone to following night. 
The Heavens are telling the glory of God, 
The wonder of his work displays the firmament. 

In all the lands resounds the word, 
Never unperceived, ever understood. 
The Heavens are telling the glory of God, 
The wonder of his work displays the firmament.
from "The Creation"

David Hill

Away in a manger

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head; 
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, 
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. 

The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes, 
But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes. 
I love thee, Lord Jesus! look down from the sky, 
And stay by my side until morning is nigh. 

Be near me, Lord Jesus: I ask thee to stay 
Close by me for ever, and watch me, I pray; 
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, 
And fit us for heaven to live with thee there.

Gustav Holst

Nunc dimittis

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, 
secundum verbum tuum in pace.
Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum.
Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum.
Lumen ad revelationem gentium,
et gloriam plebis tuae Israel. 
Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto. 
Sicut erat in principio et nunc
et in semper et in saecula saeculorum. 
Amen.

Bo Holten (b. 1948)

Nowell sing we

In Bethlehem, in that fair city, 
A child was born of a maiden free, 
That shall a Lord and Prince be 
Alleluia.

A solis ortus cardine
Jam lucis orto sidere
Hic jacet in praesepio
Qui regnat sine termino.

O Lord and prince of high degree,
Alleluia, Alleluia.

And children were slain full great plenty,
Hostes Herodes impie,
O Jesu for the love of Thee,
Wherefore here soules saved be.

Herod, the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might, in his own sight,
All young children to slay.

Nowell sing we now all and some,
For Rex Pacificus is come,
O lux beata trinitas.
Alleluia.

Herbert Howells (1892-1983)

Pupil of Brewer, the organist of Gloucester Cathedral he later studied at the Royal College of Music. He succeeded Holst in 1934 as director of music at St, Paul's Girls' School.

A spotless Rose

A spotless Rose is blowing 
Sprung from a tender root, 
Of ancient seers’ foreshowing, 
Of Jesse promised fruit;
Its fairest bud unfolds to light 
Amid the cold, cold winter 
And in the dark midnight.

The Rose which I am singing, 
Whereof Isaiah said, 
Is from its sweet root springing 
In Mary, purest Maid;  
For through our God’s great love and might 
The blessed babe she bare us 
In a cold, cold winter’s night.
14th Century

Like as the hart

Like as the hart desireth the waterbrooks : 
so longeth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God : 
when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?
My tears have been my meat day and night : 
while they daily say unto me, Where is now thy God?
Psalm 42:1-3

This page updated 6 January 2007

Thanks to Andrew Watson for the mini-biographies

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