And the Word Was Made Flesh
SATB, Brass, Percussion, and Organ. BSM0052.
Duration: 6 mins.
English Text. St. John 1:1-5, 9-14, 29.
Commissioned by St. Andrew United Methodist Church, Plano, TX for their December 2015 annual Christmas concerts to honor Maestro Chris Crook for his many years of faithful service as Director of Music.
**Digital Sheet Music for purchase is not yet available. Perusal Score below.**
Description
And the Word Was Made Flesh is a new Advent anthem composed for Chorus, Organ, Brass, and Percussion to honor the out-going director of music at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plan, TX, Maestro Chris Crook. The text comes from the first chapter of the Gospel of St. John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God....And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." I have always loved this stirring text. During the composition of this work, I have tried to imagine what it would have been like to be one of the angels in heaven, those who would later sing "Glory to God" to the shepherd keeping watch over the Bethlehem flocks. The knew and understood the mission of the Christ child and must have been full of both excitement for the advent of the Lord, and wonder that the only begotten of the Father would descend below to give his mortal life and atone for all. This setting begins with many exultant utterances from the full brass and organ in turn with the chorus of angels. Passing through sections of amazement--"He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not"--to multiple climaxes of adoration--"Behold the Lamb of God"--the choir expresses the fullness of joy the angels must have experienced as the anticipated and announced His birth. In contrast, when the choir sings what for me is the heart of the work--"And the Word was made flesh"--there is a sense of humility, as if the angels were saying to each other, "how blessed we've been to witness this, what eternal possibilities are not available for all humankind!" The work ends with a final triumphant eruption from the full brass, organ, and percussion to welcome the Christ Child, as if to say, "let there be light", as the Light of the World was born at last.
