Hard is the Road to Bethlehem

About

Casting around for a suitable text for a new piece for an end of year school staff choir, I eventually came upon a very short anonymous Christmas blessing. This text allowed me to avoid the issue of copyright, and it meant a relatively small number of words that the singers had to deal with.

I was also interested in getting the whole staff singing this time, so I created a simple tune that could be learnt quickly. In fact, it is first sung by the choir (harmonised), then sung by all in unison. In the manner of a 'partner song', the third repeat of this tune is sung with the first verse of the well-known carol Silent Night as a counter-melody.