Joys Seven
Composer:
James Ludwig
Date Completed:
November 2008
Premiere Date:
December 7, 2008
Premiering Ensemble:
Stewart Consort
Premiere Venue:
Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City, NY Composer Notes:
In some places the composition appears to be more complicated than it actually is in performance. For example, the soprano countermelody to tenor melody at mm 22-25 appears quite complicated, but is really only straight quarter notes over a meter change.
This pieces subtly uses odd time signatures and metric modulation painting a familiar carol in a new light.
Thought done for musical rather than numerological reasons, it should be noted that a connection could be made between the title of the piece and 7/8 meter explored therein. It's voicing (7-parts) also follows this numerological theme, though it was necessitated by number of singers in the Stewart Consort.
Duration:
3'27"
Language:
English
Choral Voicing:
SATB Divisi:
Soprano (minimal)
Tenor (throughout)
Bass (throughout)
Solo requirement:
Soprano
Alto/Contralto
Tenor
Bass
Text Source:
Traditional English Carol Text:
The first good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of one,
To see the blessed Jesus Christ
When he was first her son,
When he was first her son, good man,
And blessed may he be,
Both father, son, and holy ghost
Through all eternity.
The next good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of two,
To see her own son Jesus Christ
To make the lame to go.
To make the lame to go, good man,
And blessed may he be,
Both father, son, and holy ghost
Through all eternity.
Similarly:
The next good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of three,
To see her own son Jesus Christ
To make the blind to see.
The next good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of four,
To see her own son Jesus Christ
To read the Bible o'er.
The next good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of five,
To see her own son Jesus Christ
To bring the dead alive.
The next good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of six,
To see her own son Jesus Christ
Upon the crucifix.
The last good joy that Mary had,
It was the joy of seven,
To see her own son Jesus Christ
To wear the crown of heaven.
Significant Seasons or Days:
Advent
Christmas
Contact for performance materials:
Contact James Ludwig through e-mail: jamesludwig32@gmail.com
Scoring notation:
Standard notation
Difficulty Level:
3 