Two Carols for Christmas

Alun Hoddinott has beautifully set to music Llwelyn C. Huws' texts translated into English by Rhiannon Hoddinott. The first carol, set in the middle vocal register, fully captures the rich quality and timbre of the male voice. A lovely lyric melody is sung first by the tenors and then by the basses. Quiet humming is used as an aid in the shaping of the melody. In contrast, the second carol uses homophonic tonal shifts to depict the Christmas story. Extreme dynamic levels and rapid passages in the piano score propel the piece to a triumphant climax.