BC-AD

(poem by UA Fanthorpe, music by Alan Cruise Johnston, performed by the dwsChorale)

 

Download BC-AD

 

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

 

Scores of Alan Cruise Johnston's works (including this one) can be found at his website here