| Es ist ein Ros entsprungen | |
|---|---|
| Choral composition byJan Sandström | |
| Key | F major |
| Based on | Es ist ein Ros entsprungen byMichael Praetorius |
| Composed | 1990 (1990) |
| Scoring | two mixed choirs |
Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Det är en ros utsprungen,Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming) is the setting of theChristmas carolEs ist ein Ros entsprungen for two choirsa cappella by Swedish composerJan Sandström. The work of 1990, which incorporates the harmonization byPraetorius, is one of his signature compositions, along with hisTrombone Concerto No. 1, theMotorbike Concerto.
Jan Sandström composed the work in 1990,[1] one year after the success of hisMotorbike Concerto. He took the four-part setting of the Christmas carolEs ist ein Ros entsprungen byMichael Praetorius (1609) as a starting point. Line by line, he placed it in slow motion within an eight-parta cappella setting.[2] Choir I in four parts, singing Praetorius, can be performed by soloists. Choir II in eight parts is hummed throughout.[3] The way of combining a chorale as acantus firmus with different musical material is similar tochorale preludes, but in this case the cantus firmus is quoted not only in the melody but a full harmonization, and the contrasting music is given to voices. Their humming renders the work suitable for international presentation.
The work was first published in 1995 by the Sveriges Körförbunds Förlag, Stockholm. It is available as a single copy or in the collectionCantemus 3.[4] It is published for the U.S. by Walton Music as "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming / Es ist ein Ros entsprungen".[2]
It is written inF major incommon time with atempo indication of♩=56, which is especially slow since Sandström has changed the note grades so that this is equivalent to♩=28 in Praetorius's notation and he uses mainly the longest notes. The voices of choir II enter one after the other within four measures, from the lowest to the highest, startingppp and gradually increasing to piano. All voices but bass II, which stays on its first note F, move upwards from their first note to a second on which they stay, building up a chord into which choir I enters in measure 5, also ppp to piano and back again on the words "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen". The chords in choir II change subtly by voices moving or pausing, carefully supporting the harmonies of Praetorius. Choir II is singing alone for more than a measure before choir I continues "aus einer Wurzel zart".[2]
The composition is a highlight of Christmas programs by ambitious choirs and vocal ensembles. In 2007 it was included in a broadcast fromKings College Chapel on Christmas Eve, with theChoir of King's College, conducted byStephen Cleobury.[5]Chanticleer performed it in 2007 and then commissioned the composer to write a piece for them for the Christmas season of 2010, which resulted inThe Word Became Flesh.[6] In 2010 it was broadcast twice by theBBC in a Choral Evensong fromWinchester College.[7]New England Conservatory's Chamber Singers and Concert Choir included the composition in their 2011 Lessons and Carols program.[8] It is on the 2011 Christmas program of theNDR Chor inSt. Nikolai.[9]
In 2002, the chamber choirDresdner Kammerchor, conducted byHans-Christoph Rademann, included it on their CDWeihnachten, and it was described in a review as an "absolutely otherworldly setting ... Praetorius meets Ligeti".[10] Performed by theDale Warland Singers, the composition is part of a 2005 CDNoel – A Music Feast, a charitable project which also features "Carol of the Bells" and "Hallelujah" fromMessiah, sung by theWestminster Choir.[11] In 2009, a CD titledEs ist ein Ros' entsprungen – Christmas Music for Choir and Organ combined several settings of the tune, the original by Praetorius, an organ prelude byJohannes Brahms (Op. 122 No. 8), variations on it byHugo Distler fromDie Weihnachtsgeschichte (The Christmas Story, 1933) and Sandström's setting, together with related Christmas music, performed by Vox Bona, the chamber choir of theKreuzkirche, Bonn [de], conducted by Karin Freist-Wissing.[12] Reviewer Dan Morgan commented on Sandström's work: "From its dark, monastic beginning rising to a radiant, multi-layered crescendo, this is the disc's crowning glory. ... It's an extraordinary fusion of old and new, a minor masterpiece that deserves the widest possible audience." Stefan Schmöe compared the "schwebende Klangflächen" (floating soundscapes) of the added second chorus to an acoustic halo.[13] John Miller describes Sandström's addition as a "timeless, atmospheric, dream-like sound-scape of poignantly dissonant polyphonic strands".[3]
In 2011,Es ist ein Ros entsprungen was recorded by the TOWER Voices New Zealand for their CDA Voices Christmas.[14] The Crypt Choir ofThe King's School, Canterbury included it on the programA Spotless Rose, recommended by theRoyal School of Church Music.[15] The Society of Swedish Composers selected it for its "Composer's Radio 2011" titled "Inspirations".[16]
