Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Sandström)
| Es ist ein Ros entsprungen | |
|---|---|
| Choral composition by Jan Sandström | |
| Key | F major |
| Based on |
Es ist ein Ros entsprungen by Michael Praetorius |
| Composed | 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 the Christmas carol Es ist ein Ros entsprungen for two choirs a cappella by Swedish composer Jan Sandström. The work of 1990, which incorporates the harmonization by Praetorius, is one of his signature compositions, along with his Trombone Concerto No. 1, the Motorbike Concerto.
Jan Sandström composed the work in 1990, one year after the success of his Motorbike Concerto. He took the four-part setting of the Christmas carol Es ist ein Ros entsprungen by Michael Praetorius (1609) as a starting point. Line by line, he placed it in slow motion within an eight-part a cappella setting. Choir I in four parts, singing Praetorius, can be performed by soloists. Choir II in eight parts is hummed throughout. The way of combining a chorale as a cantus firmus with different musical material is similar to chorale 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 collection Cantemus 3. It is published for the U.S. by Walton Music as "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming / Es ist ein Ros entsprungen".
It is written in F major in common time with a tempo 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, starting ppp 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".
...
Wikipedia