Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio) Op. 12 (Vocal Score) Cover Image

Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio) Op. 12 (Vocal Score): Choral Works (inc. Oratorios)

$14.95 USD
$14.95 USD
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Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio) Op. 12 (Vocal Score) Cover Image
Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio) Op. 12 (Vocal Score): Choral Works (inc. Oratorios)

Oratorio de Noël (Christmas Oratorio) Op. 12 (Vocal Score): Choral Works (inc. Oratorios)

For SMezATB Soli, Choir, Harp, Organ and Strings, Urtext

By Camille Saint-Saëns / ed. Edward Blakeman

Item: 98-EP11053
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Description

New Urtext Edition based on original sources by Edward Blakeman

Saint-Saëns was twenty-three when he wrote his Oratorio de Noël and it has all the freshness of a young composer eager to prove himself. He had been organist of the fashionable Church of the Madeleine in Paris for just a year - a prestigious position - and the Oratorio was a major undertaking for his second Christmas there. The work was written in just twelve days between 4 and 15 December 1858.

Despite Saint-Saëns's efforts in overseeing the publication of the Oratorio, it had various mistakes and omissions.

This new edition attempts to correct these, and by close comparison with the various manuscript sources to present the work for the first time in a form as close to possible to Saint-Saëns's intentions.

Where there are still ambiguities, square brackets have been used to indicate alternative or uncertain readings - in particular for the inclusion of extra details that somehow appeared in the printed edition after the preparation and correction of Saint-Saëns's final manuscript

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Additional Details
Series: Edition Peters
Publisher: Edition Peters
Page Count: 64
ISBN10: 0-01-410912-3
ISBN13: 979-0-0141-0912-7
SKU: 98-EP11053

More about this title

About the Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835, 1921) was a French organist, conductor, and composer of extraordinary technical facility and productivity. He held the position of organist at the Church of the Madeleine in Paris, one of the most prestigious musical posts in France, and used that platform to champion both sacred and secular works throughout his long career. His output ranged from symphonies and concertos to operas and chamber music, but he remained deeply invested in writing for the church and for choral forces.

Saint-Saëns composed the Oratorio de Noël at age twenty-three as a major statement of faith and craft. Written in just twelve days in December 1858, it reveals a composer at the height of his powers, balancing the inherited traditions of the French oratorio with his own gift for melody and harmonic sophistication. The work became a fixture of the Christmas season in France and beyond, performed regularly by both professional and amateur choirs.

Why we love this

This Urtext edition restores Saint-Saëns's original intentions after decades of corrupted printed sources, giving your singers the most authentic text available. The oratorio's scale is manageable for accomplished amateur ensembles, yet its musical substance never condescends; it offers genuine artistic reward without requiring cathedral forces. Programming a work this carefully edited signals to your singers and audience that you are committed to the integrity of the score.

What to expect

The Oratorio de Noël combines the dignity and grandeur of the oratorio tradition with an intimate, almost domestic warmth. Saint-Saëns's melodies are direct and singable, his harmonies clear without being simplistic; the work feels like a sincere conversation about nativity rather than a monumental proclamation.

Who it's for

Conductors leading advanced amateur choirs, cathedral music programs, and university choral ensembles will find this edition essential. Solo singers with oratorio experience should be involved; the work requires confident individual voices alongside strong ensemble singing.

How to get the most out of it

  • Study the square brackets throughout the score carefully. Saint-Saëns himself remained uncertain about some details of orchestration and text underlay; marking these visually reminds your singers where historical ambiguity exists rather than imposing false certainty.
  • Balance the choral sections with the solo arias. The work alternates between large ensemble moments and intimate solo writing; resist the urge to let the choir dominate during ensemble passages, allowing the soloists' lines to emerge clearly.
  • Attend to the French prosody in the sung text. Saint-Saëns composed with particular care for how words fall on beats and phrases; honor the natural accentuation of the language rather than forcing English-language conventions onto his line.

How to use it

This oratorio works beautifully as the centerpiece of a Christmas concert, either performed in full or as a substantial first half. Its single-work format allows audiences to settle into sustained musical storytelling, and its length (roughly 45 minutes) fits naturally into a traditional holiday program structure.

Skills your students will build

  • French language pronunciation and poetic accentuation in sung text
  • Reading manuscript apparatus and textual variants indicated by square brackets
  • Balancing solo voices with choral sections within large ensemble works
  • Interpreting the oratorio form and understanding how recitative and aria advance narrative
  • Singing sustained harmonic progressions with confidence and blend

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