I’m in the process of putting together a Christmas album, mostly with my own lyrics, but there are also a few settings, for example ‘Christmas Morn’ by Anna de Brémont.
If anyone is wondering why on earth I’m already posting Christmas songs on 1 October – it takes time to put together fifteen Christmas songs, which is why you have to start early if you want it to be ready in December. Even when I was still singing in the Hochrhein Kantorei church choir in my childhood, we started rehearsing Christmas carols at the end of September every year. Because everything in the world takes time.
The Christmas carol album is to be entitled ‘Ninda Christmas’ and at least two songs are already (half) finished. One of them, ‘Christmas Song in the City of Juletree’, has already made it into the Ninda Home Charts for September.
The other title, ‘Christmas morn’, was composed in the night of 30 September / 1 October. This is a setting of the Christmas poem ‘Christmas Morn’ by the American poet Anna de Brémont (1849-1922) in the style of a classical hymn.
Unfortunately, I was only able to set the first four verses of the original poem to music (due to a time limitation of my software). This is a great pity because the poem actually has six stanzas and ends on a very conciliatory note.
I would be very happy if someone could set all the verses to music using my melody, because I actually find the melody very pretty. (And my little anthem is already quite popular on YouTube.)
Therefore, I am releasing this melody under Creative Commons licence CC BY-SA 4.0 – (Melody: Martin A. Duehning).
I would be honoured if I could hear all six verses in a version by you. 😉
The text of the poem is actually public domain, as it was published in 1892, 132 years ago and its author died 1922, a 102 years in the past:
Christmas Morn
by Anna de Brémont
There’s a holy light like a beacon bright,
Afar over land and sea.
Soft its lambent ray o’er the broad earth plays
With a rosy dancing glee,
And the topmost peak of the mountains bleak
Blush fair in the glowing morn.
Over wood and tarn sweeps the glorious dawn
To herald the Child-Christ born.
White the sea-waves fling like an angel’s wing
The foam as their blue crests rise,
While each gallant ship, with a skim and a dip,
In the wind’s lap speeding flies;
And the sailor’s song is borne along
The breeze of the golden morn,
For joyous he sings as the mast he swings
To herald the Child-Christ born.
In the land of snow where the keen winds blow
And the ice-king holds his sway,
A glittering sheen on the plains is seen,
As tribute to him they pay.
While merrily sing with a peal and a ring
The bells on the crystal morn,
As gayly they chime with silvery rhyme
To herald the Child-Christ born.
To his sea-girt home, where’er he may roam,
Speed the thoughts of Briton’s son.
In city or plain, on the crested main,
The heart of the absent one
Again in his dreams with ecstasy seems
To swell in the happy morn,
As he hears the voice of his loved rejoice,
To herald the Child-Christ born.
In dreams borne along, he joins the glad throng,
The riot and wassail gay;
And the boar’s head bold as in Nowel old
Brave crowns the feast of the day;
The holly’s red blush ’mid the ivy’s crush;
The mistletoe greets the morn
With kisses to claim in love’s holy name,
To herald the Child-Christ born.
Then Charity sweet with most gracious feet
Walks forth o’er the smiling land,
To widow’s relief, to fatherless grief,
She bringeth a helping hand.
For peace and good-will the whole world doth fill
With the dawn of the Nowel morn.
Let every heart sing a glad welcoming,
To herald the Child-Christ born.
* * *
