It Came Upon a Midnight Clear: Choral Instrumental Pak
By Heather Sorenson
Item: 35-PK00459015
$75.00
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Description
From the cantata °Little Lion, Little Lamb,° the contours of this reimagined carol are fashioned with beautiful arching leaps, instantly endearing it to the listener. A good balance of unison and four-part writing expresses the miracle of the incarnation with sensitivity and sincere devotion. The B section offers some theater with distinctive layers of "Gloria" that crescendo with impressive impact. The final angelic proclamation fades into the Christmas sky with delicate and artful sonority. Heavenly! Score and Parts (fl 1-2, ob, cl 1-2, bn, tpt 1-3, hn 1-2, tbn 1-2, tbn3/tba, perc 1-2, timp, hp, vn 1-2, va, vc, db) available as a digital download.
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK00459015
More about this title
About the Composer: Heather Sorenson
Heather Sorenson stands among today's most versatile composers, working fluidly across sacred and contemporary idioms from her base in Dallas, Texas. Her reputation rests on decades of choral, orchestral, and piano writing performed in churches, concert halls, universities, and competition spaces worldwide. She has received commissions from institutions including Texas A&M University, the Kennedy Foundation, and Carnegie Hall, where her oratorio EXODUS premiered.
Education and mentorship run deep in Sorenson's practice. She spent four years teaching elementary music at Grace Academy of Dallas, held an adjunct position at Baylor University, and regularly leads workshops at worship conferences and universities across the country. Her ongoing work as a guest conductor, clinician, and benefit concert performer keeps her connected to the communities she serves.
Why we love this
Sorenson captures something luminous here: the unison passages let your singers breathe together, while the four-part sections unfold with natural voice leading that doesn't demand excessive ranges. The B section's stacked Gloria moments give you real dramatic architecture to shape, and that final fade creates a moment of genuine reverence that stays with an audience.
What to expect
The music breathes with reverence and warmth, its arching phrases inviting listeners into the mystery of the nativity rather than announcing it. Unison passages feel intimate and grounded, while the Gloria sections swell with transcendent joy before settling into a hushed, almost meditative close.
Who it's for
Choirs of intermediate ability and above who need a carol that moves beyond the expected. The scoring accommodates both full orchestras and flexible ensembles, making it accessible for church programs, school concerts, and community holiday performances.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the opening melodic leaps by thinking of them as natural vocal gestures rather than technical hurdles; let the beauty of the line guide your tempo and phrasing.
- Layer the Gloria section strategically: bring in each voice part slightly ahead of the next to build cumulative texture and momentum toward the climax.
- Balance the harp and strings during the final angelic proclamation to maintain transparency; the goal is ethereal, not dense.
- Rehearse the transition from four-part to unison writing separately so singers understand how the texture shift reinforces the text and theological arc.
How to use it
Position this as the emotional anchor of your Christmas concert, perhaps after a set of lighter carols. Its sophisticated harmonic language and orchestration reward an audience's full attention, making it ideal for a program's second half or as a concert finale that sends people home in quiet contemplation.
Skills your students will build
- Shifting between unison and four-part textures with clarity and ensemble cohesion
- Performing sustained legato lines with shape and direction
- Managing dynamic buildup across layered vocal parts (Gloria sections)
- Responding to orchestral accompaniment with rhythmic precision and flexibility
- Blending vocal tone in extended unison passages