Hewitt Jones, Thomas: Bethlehem Whispers
From: £3.25
SATB and organ
Words by Gordon Giles
Bethlehem Whispers is a touching and joyful picture of the night of Christ’s birth. Canon Gordon Giles’s exquisite poem is perfectly matched by the lush music of Thomas Hewitt Jones in a unique creative partnership. Under a sky of glimmering gold and in the light of the old day and dawn of the new, there in the hay lies the sleeping child, Bethlehem’s pearl of great price. In the first two verses the holy family, ‘journey now ended with somewhere to stay’, takes its place beside the manger. For the third and final verse, the music lifts by a semitone, from a rich E flat major to ringing E major, as Jesus is brought to birth, and faith, hope and love are now present on earth. The organ introduction presents a lovely allusion to Silent Night, taken up in the gentle berceuse rhythm of the setting, and adding to the sense of timeless rapture in this beautiful gem of a carol.
This title is available either as a printed copy by post, or as a digital download with a 30-copy print licence. Please select:
30-COPY LICENCE
Sold under the terms of a personal use licence, the purchase of this file includes a licence to print up to 30 copies for use by your choir. If you need more than 30 copies, simply purchase multiple copies of the file for each additional 30 copies required. For example, 30 copies cost £20.00, 60 copies cost £40.00 etc.
Note: The file (stamped with your name and email address) will be available for immediate download and the licence will be sent via email.