Saw You Never, in the Twilight

Description

Voice, Descant, Oboe — Part of the attraction of this ancient tune is that it is relatively unknown and, therefore, rather unique.xa0 Another attractionxa0 is the melodic elegance and inherent musicality. This always makes for a good teaching tool in the choral rehearsal.Basically it is two ideas: A phrases and B phrases. Each idea has two complementary, but not necessarilyxa0 identical halves:Measures 8-12 could be called A1 and mm. 12-16 could be called A2. However, they are actually musically identical; only the text is different.Measures 16-20 could be called B1 and mm. 20-24 could be called B2. They are mostly the same, but they have different "destinations"; hence, different functions.Teachers are encouraged to help their young singers identify, tonally and visually, where the phrases repeat, where they are similar and where they are different. There are lots of educational opportunities here.As always, be aware of your "echo words" (twi-light, shin-ing, watch-ing). Concentrate on making your most beautiful tone. Make it a lullaby that is meaningful as well as effective.The oboe part is completely optional, as is the descant "lullaby," beginning in m. 32. They add texture and flavor, but they are not required for a musical performance. Both haunting and hopeful, this little-known unison French carol setting affords emerging singers opportunities to develop musicianship through tone development and text stress. The gorgeous lyric melody is further enhanced with the addition of the optional oboe and descant. This is a holiday programming must.

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