When the Song of the Angels Is Stilled (TTBB)
by Elizabeth Alexander
TTBB - Sheet Music

Men's Chorus (TTBB choir a cappella) - Moderate

SKU: SF.SEA-062-02

Composed by Elizabeth Alexander. Arranged by Willi Zwozdesky / Elizabeth Alexander. Collegiate Repertoire, Community Chorus, High School Chorus, Concert Music. Church-Seasonal-Christmas, Church Choir-Seasonal-Epiphany, Angels, Sacred (Worship & Praise), Choral. Octavo. With Text language: English. Duration 3 minutes. Published by Seafarer Press (SF.SEA-062-02).

Poem by Howard Thurman, "When the Song of the Angels Is Stilled".

A rhythmically vital setting of Howard Thurman's magnificent poem about the true "work of Christmas." Informed by South African part-writing and the rhythmic impulse of African-American spirituals, this piece lends a powerful relevance to Christmas which extends far beyond Epiphany.
TTBB arrangement created in collaboration with Willi Zwozdesky, for Vancouver Men's Chorus Named: One of Creator Magazine's "Honored 10" Anthems (SATB version)

Composer's Note: I am amazed at the variety of recordings I've received of this work, and how well this piece adapts to vastly different tempos and tone qualities. Of course, as the composer, I had an original vision for how this piece would be sung! But as more and more choirs sing this song, I have come to welcome these different interpretations as a sign that people are making my song - and Howard Thurman's visionary words - their own.

Text: When the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and the princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flocks, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among brothers, To make music in the heart. From "The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations" by Howard Thurman. Copyright 1985 by Friends United Press. Used by permission.