Pigeon Carol
04:14 duration|Composed in 2024|Difficulty: Intermediate|First performed: December 2024
Commissioned by Katherine Dienes-Williams and Guildford Cathedral Choir, generously supported by Susan Howland.
The poem emphasises quietness and calm, from the “hushed pigeons” to the “strange silence” in the air – I haven’t sung about pigeons in a carol before, so I named this piece Pigeon Carol! Nature participates in this most sacred of moments, blending the earthly simplicity of the animals with the celestial light of the star. I find Margaret Deland’s expression of maternal love particularly touching: “Her cheek against the little face.” The final line knocked me off my feet, with silence transformed into a “burst of music, love, and light!”
In my music, the tune and harmony reflect the peaceful simplicity at the start of the poem. I use shimmering chords to paint the “light from one low-hanging star” before a soprano solo captures Mary’s tender love for her baby boy. As the silence turns to joy, the music becomes more flowing and expansive.
Pigeon Carol – sung by Guildford Cathedral Choir
Text
Hushed are the pigeons cooing low
On dusty rafters of the loft;
And mild-eyed oxen, breathing soft,
Sleep on the fragrant hay below.
Dim shadows in the corner hide;
The glimmering lantern’s rays are shed
Where one young lamb just lifts his head,
Then huddles ‘gainst his mother’s side.
Strange silence tingles in the air;
Through the half-open door a bar
Of light from one low-hanging star
Touches a baby’s radiant hair.
No sound: the mother, kneeling, lays
Her cheek against the little face.
Oh human love! Oh heavenly grace!
‘Tis yet in silence that she prays!
Ages of silence end to-night;
Then to the long-expectant earth
Glad angels come to greet His birth
In burst of music, love, and light!
Margaret Deland (1857-1945)
