I Sing the Birth: SATB divisi a cappella Choral Octavo

Name: I Sing the Birth: SATB divisi a cappella Choral Octavo
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-48341
Price: 2.05 USD
Availability: InStock

Words by Ben Jonson, music by Andrew Bruhn

Item: 00-48341

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Sixteenth-century playwright and poet Ben Jonson wrote the text to this nativity hymn. This original a cappella setting begins with an expressive solo, then gives both the women's and men's voices a standalone feature verse before combining the choir in resonant contemporary harmony. Artistic repertoire for Christmas.

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Series: Lawson-Gould

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 8

UPC: 038081551647

SKU: 00-48341

More about this title

About the Composer: Ben Jonson

Ben Jonson (1572–1637) was an English playwright, poet, and contemporary of Shakespeare whose literary output shaped Renaissance drama and verse. His masques, plays, and occasional poems demonstrate a command of language and theatrical sensibility that made him a towering figure in Early Modern English letters. As a poet, Jonson crafted work marked by classical precision, wit, and spiritual depth; his nativity texts reveal both his technical mastery and his ability to infuse sacred subjects with human warmth and accessibility.

Andrew Bruhn is a published composer whose choral writing centers on sacred and seasonal repertoire. His arrangements and original settings approach texts with sensitivity to both poetic meaning and vocal practicality, creating works that sound contemporary without sacrificing clarity or accessibility.

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Why we love this

Bruhn's setting gives Jonson's Renaissance text a modern harmonic vocabulary that sounds fresh without overshadowing the poetry. The architecture is genuinely thoughtful: beginning with a solo voice and unfolding through divisi sections for each voice family before the full choir arrives creates genuine dramatic shape and keeps interest high across an eight-page work. For Christmas programming, this occupies a distinctive space between devotional and artistic, suitable for both liturgical and concert contexts.

What to expect

The piece unfolds with a luminous, contemporary sound that honors the Renaissance text without imitating period style. There is dignity in the opening solo, brightness and independence in the divisi sections, and a sense of gathering and integration when the full choir finally sings together.

Who it's for

This work suits SATB choirs at intermediate level and above who want repertoire with genuine artistic substance for the Christmas season. Directors seeking a nativity setting that departs from familiar twentieth-century carols and offers both solo and ensemble voices will find this particularly useful.

How to get the most out of it

Shape the opening solo with a sense of intimate declaration rather than formal presentation; the text and harmony support a personal, meditative approach.
Balance the divisi passages carefully so that each voice section (women and men separately) projects with clear independence without sacrificing blend within the section.
Support the contemporary harmonic language with precise vowel control and unified vibrato in the full choir passages, particularly where the harmony becomes more complex.
Let the text and its Jonson's syntax guide phrasing rather than fighting against longer poetic lines; breathe between ideas, not always at bar lines.

How to use it

Program this as an artistic centerpiece in a Christmas concert featuring a mix of traditional and contemporary repertoire, or use it as an opening or closing work in a sacred music service where poetic substance matters as much as celebration. Its modest length makes it suitable for a varied holiday program without requiring a lengthy block of consecutive Christmas music.