Before the Paling of the Stars

Christmas anthem for SATB choir and piano

“Before the Paling of the Stars” is a Christmas anthem intended for both concert and liturgical use. I composed the first version in the summer of 2019 during a long beach vacation with my family.  While I almost always write at the piano, the only instrument I had with me for those two weeks was a ukulele. Being a total beginner on that instrument, I spent the trip experimenting with simple lullaby melodies and gentle chord progressions, eventually landing on the ones found in this piece.

The first choral version was premiered at Bishop O’Connell High School in December of 2019. Being my first attempt at composing for choir, the piece had notable flaws. Two years later, when on another vacation to the same beach where my lullaby began, I decided to rework it. I fleshed out the harmonies and added more dynamic and textural contrast. An entirely new addition was the opening soprano and piano statement of the melody, which aims to depict the twinkling stars above the town of Bethlehem. This material returns in the heart of the piece, providing the key change to the final verse.

I find Rossetti’s poem to be a powerful testament to Jesus’ humility. Her words contrast the lowly conditions of His birth with its unimaginable impact on human history. I hope the music can convey this message and remind listeners that the most important things can transpire amid the most modest of circumstances.

-Matthew Thomas Brown

Text:

Before the paling of the stars,

     Before the winter morn,

Before the earliest cock-crow,

     Jesus Christ was born:

Born in a stable,

     Cradled in a manger,

In the world His hands had made

     Born a stranger.

Priest and King lay fast asleep

     In Jerusalem,

Young and old lay fast asleep

     In crowded Bethlehem:

Saint and Angel, ox and ass,

     Kept a watch together,

Before the Christmas daybreak

     In the winter weather.

Jesus on His Mother’s breast

     In the stable cold,

Spotless Lamb of God was He,

     Shepherd of the fold:

Let us kneel with Mary Maid,

     With Joseph bent and hoary,

With Saint and Angel, ox and ass,

     To hail the King of Glory.

  • Christina Georgina Rosetti (1864)

Duration

5 Minutes

Year of Composition

2021

Instrumentation

SATB choir and piano

Performance at Vienna Church Street Holiday Stroll, 11/29/21

The air was freezing and the piano keys even colder — the only time I’ve really “suffered” for art.