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BC-AD
(poem by UA Fanthorpe, music by Alan Cruise Johnston, performed by the dwsChorale)
A somewhat different view of the Christmas story: a very effective poem by Ursula Fanthorpe, beautifully set to music by New Zealand composer Alan Cruise Johnston.
In this case, as the soprano line does not go higher than an "e", I am singing this piece at the original pitch - there seems to be some musical symbolism about the recurrent octave starting note of B, as if all the voices were checking their Be-ing.....
This was the moment when Before
Turned into After, and the future's
Uninvented timekeepers presented arms.
This was the moment when nothing
Happened. Only dull peace
Sprawled boringly over the earth
This was the moment when even energetic Romans
Could find nothing better to do
Than counting heads in remote provinces.
And this was the moment
When a few farm workers and three
Members of an obscure Persian sect.
Walked haphazard by starlight straight
Into the kingdom of heaven.
Reproduced by kind permission of Peterloo Poets
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