Page 8 - RSCM Carols for Sopranos, Altos and Unison Lower Voices

Introduction
It is not often that an editor receives a submission for a publication with the footnote ‘In quarentinam’ (In quarantine). This simple phrase is a reminder that many of these carols and arrangements were written while ‘under lockdown’ during March to May 2020. As they gradually arrived in my inbox, each piece was in its way a symbol of hope that choirs might be back up and running by this Christmas.
Advent and Christmas are celebrations of light and hope: the expectation and
the arrival of the Promised Saviour. This is expressed most fervently in the carols and hymns that we love to sing and that form such a large part of our shared experience of the season. My hope is that, this December, many of these pieces in this book might receive their first performances in churches and schools in carol concerts and services across the world to end a year of darkness, sorrow and uncertainty.
I would like to thank Ian Carpenter for the proof reading, Tim Ruffer, Head of Publishing at the RSCM, and especially all the composers who despite depressing world events have been inspired to write such wonderful pieces full of optimism and character.
Thank you too for buying the book and may the pieces be part of a Christmas that is filled with joy, comfort, peace and lots of singing for years to come.
David Ogden Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, 2020
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