How many miles to Babylon

Jennifer Bastable's How many miles to Babylon is an SSATB setting of a traditional English folk song, presented here as secular part-music. The composer opens with the insistent, driving rhythm of the journey, the voices weaving together to create a sense of restless motion. The text describes the challenges and rewards of a long journey, hinting at a mystical destination where "gardens that shine by day and by night" await. The singers will need nimble heels and light toes to capture the spirited pace, especially as the phrase "by candle-light" suggests a journey taken at dusk, a brief interlude before the darkness truly falls.