This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Auspicious Morn
Staff Notation • Sacred
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
STB · Barry Johnston
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Auspicious Morn by Oliver Holden — Lyrics
John Milton's Hymn to the Nativity
It was the winter wild,
While the Heavenborn child,
All meanly wrapt, in the rude manger lies.
Nature, in awe to him.
Had doffed her gaudy trim,
With her great master so to sympathize.
It was no season then for her
To wanton with the sun, her lusty paramour.
No war or battle sound
Was heard the world around —
The idle spear and shield were high up hung,
The hooked chariot stood
Unstained with hostile blood;
The trumpet spake not to the armed throng,
And kings sat still with awful eye,
As if they surely knew their sovereign Lord was by.
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About Auspicious Morn
Oliver Holden's Auspicious Morn is a sacred setting for STB voices. The music opens with a gentle, pastoral feel, depicting the peaceful night of the Nativity. The voices weave together to portray the stillness of the world as Christ's reign of peace begins. The text, drawn from John Milton's famous Hymn to the Nativity, evokes a sense of awe and wonder at the Incarnation, contrasting the earthly tranquility with the divine significance of the event. Holden's setting captures the serene majesty of the scene, creating an atmosphere of profound reverence for this pivotal moment in Christian history.
