A Christmas Selection (1) Elizabeth Poston
Last And 1. 3. UnisonorSolo night I in stayed the o on pen my - ship jour pen* neyThe To
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in lis fant tenJe to sus the - lay, cheep While Of a cows small stood bird at in the the
As The 2. 4 I bright trudged stars through were the my snow an fields gelsThat And &bbbb ?bbbb &bbbb lay with in the their heav’n own lylight, host A I thorn sang bush praise - with to its the &bbbb n ?bbbb &bbbb Fa sha dow ther,- Stood The doub Son led and - on Ho the lynight. Ghost.
Omydeirheart (Balulalow)
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2.But (22) DESCANT mp I sall praisethee ev -er-moreWithsang-es sweetun&bbb
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2.But mp I sall praisethee ev -er-moreWith sang-es sweetun-
?bbb mp &bbb -to thy gloir; The pococresc knees of my heartsall I bow, And &bbb -to thy gloir;The pococresc.
kneesof b my heart b sall I bow, And b
pococresc.
rit.
Beholdasillytenderbabe
RobertSouthwell(c.1561–1595) ‘NewPrince,NewPompe’
Withaneasy,gentleswing
MelodyfromCorner’sGeistlicheGesangbuch(1625) ArrangedbyElizabethPoston(1905–87)
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-las a pi-teoussight, A-las a pi-teoussight.
2.Theinnsarefull,nomanwillyield Thislittlepilgrimbed; Butforcedheiswithsillybeasts Incribtoshroudhishead(x2)
3Despisehimnotforlyingthere: Firstwhatheisenquire: Anorientpearlisoftenfound Indepthofdirtymire.(x2)
4.Weighnothiscrib,hiswoodendish, Norbeaststhatbyhimfeed; Weighnothismother’spoorattire NorJoseph’ssimpleweed(x2)
5ThisstableisaPrince’scourt, Thecribhischairofstate: Thebeastsareparcelofhispomp, Thewoodendishhisplate.(x2)
©ElizabethPoston1967,transferredtoMultitudeofVoyces2023ImprintMoV2024
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7.With
joy approach, - O Chris-tianwight,Do hom-age to the
7.With joy approach, - O Chris-tianwight,Do hom-age to the
King; And high ly - praise his hum ble - pompWhich
King; And high ly - praise his hum-blepomp Which
n
he fromheav’n dothbring,Whichhe fromheav’n dothbring.
he fromheav’ndothbring, Whichhe from heav’ndothbring.
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& plea I sure will - dear sit ly and - I rest have a bought: -while: I Un missed -der of the all; sha but -dow
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& now I I will see be, ’Tis Of found Je in -sus Christ Christ the the ap ap ple pletree tree opt.verse4ending accomp.only U ? u & 5.This (37)Unison,orRound(optional),entriesat* fruitdothmakemy * soultothrive, Itkeepsmydying - faitha-live;This ’ & fruitdothmakemy soul tothrive,It keepsmy dy-ing faith a-live;Which & makesmysoul in hasteto beWith Je-susChristthe ap-ple tree
Elizabeth Poston (1905–87) was born in rural Hertfordshire, where she lived for most of her life in a historic property, Rooks Nest House, Stevenage. Her compositional output was varied, encompassing dramaticomusical plays, chamber works, secular and sacred choral settings, and solo songs which were often inspired by her love of folksong and the countryside. As a professional pianist she frequently performed in live premieres of her own works on the BBC, for which organisation she worked for many years. Her skills as a multi-linguist enabled her to create her own translations and editions of texts for many of her compositions and arrangements.
The four settings in this booklet were first published in The Cambridge Hymnal (CUP 1967), a wide-ranging anthology curated and edited by David Holbrook and Elizabeth Poston, which included at Poston’s invitation commissionsbysomeofthemostesteemed composersoftheday.
Christmas Day, Elizabeth’s setting of a short poem by the Priest, poet and naturalist Andrew Young (1885–1971), here represents her limited output of settings of modern poetry, while the arrangements of O my deir heart and Behold a silly tender babe demonstrate her fondness for exploring traditional sacred melodies and Renaissance texts.
Her original miniature for voice and piano, The Apple Tree, the text of which may well have been written by the Calvinist Baptist pastor Richard Hutchins (fl. 1759), was published in Bodley Head’s The Children’s Song Book (1961). Her choral version – Jesus Christ the Apple Tree – arranged for The Cambridge Hymnal, quickly became hermostcelebrated work.
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