Oxford Christmas Music

PAUL CAREY

IL EST NÉ LE
DIVIN ENFANT
For Unaccompanied
Mixed Choir (SATB)
 Performance Note

Although most of the music in this arrangement is clearly in 3/4, the opening alto
and soprano ostinati phrases are actually in different, shifting meters. For ensemble
purposes the piece is conducted in 3/4 (beaten using a “big one”) to keep everything
together. It should also be noticed that the alto and soprano repeating phrases are not
equal in length with each other or with the men’s lines, so as these phrases cycle, they
repeat at different points and the musical parts line up vertically in new ways. This
gives rise to an interesting feeling of repetition and variety at the same time.
I would suggest the altos and sopranos initially learn their repeating phrases from
the samples written here on this page. By doing so they will get the true feel of the
phrase. I have marked the beginnings of these phrases with a combination accent
and stress mark. Please note that the soprano phrase is in Lydian mode, thus the D #.

Il est né le divin Enfant*

Play, oboes! Ring out, musettes!
Let’s all sing of his coming!
He is born, the Divine Child:
For over four thousand years
The prophets promised us this,
And for all that time we’ve waited
For this happy hour.
Oh, how handsome he is! How charming!
What perfect manners!
How sweet he is, this Divine Child!
A stable is his dwelling,
And a little hay, his cradle;
How he humbles himself, this God!
O Jesus! O King All-Powerful!
(Tiny child though thou art)
Reign over us entirely, completely, absolutely.

* Christopher Johnson, trans.

 for Sherri

Il est né le divin Enfant

For Unaccompanied Mixed Choir (SATB)
Traditional French,
Paul Carey, arr.

[ W W With a Swingle Singers bounce (@. = 66) mf B>- C B CW C

Soprano ! 4 W 3 Q Q Q
Chan - tons tous son a -
W W W 3 mf g g
Alto ! 4 C C C C O C C C CO C C C C C C C CO C
->C h >-
Jou - ez haut - bois ré-son - nez mu-set - tes, jou - ez haut - bois
WWW 3 Q Q Q Q Q
Tenor Í! 4

Bass
# WWW 3 Q Q Q Q Q
] 4
With a Swingle Singers bounce (@. = 66) >-B
WW C B CW C
! W 43 Q Q Q
for
rehearsal mf
only WWW 3 g g
! 4 C C C C CO C C C CO C C C C- C C C CO C
-> h >

[6 W W WC C
>-C C C C C CW C C
! W CO C C CW C C C
h
vè - ne - ment, chan - tons tous son a - vè - ne - ment,
WWW C
! C C CO C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
h >-C
ré-son-nez mu - set - tes, jou - ez haut - bois ré-son-nez mu-set - tes,
WWW mf
Í! Q Q BO BO
B> O > >
Il est né
mf > >B O >B O
# WWW Q Q BO
]
Il est né

WWW C O >-C C C C C CW C C
! WC C C C C CW C C C
h
WWW S
! C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
C-> C BO BO
BO
Copyright © 2005, Oxford University Press, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.
4

[11 W W B>- C B C W C CO B>- C

! W C C C C C
h
chan - tons tous son a - vè - ne - ment, chan - tons
WW g g
! W C C C C CO C C C CO C C C C C C CO C
>- h >-C
jou - ez haut - bois ré-son - nez mu-set - tes, jou - ez haut - bois
W W W B> O S
Í! BO C B C B
> >B >
le di - - vin En - fant. De - puis
>O >B O
# WWW B >
B C B S
] C> B
le di - - vin En - fant. De - puis

g >-
WWW -B> C B CC OW C C O C C C B C
! C C C
CO C C C h
C C C C C
C CO C
h -> h
W W W >- >C
# B> C B S B
! C B OC C C C B
> >B O

[16 W W B CW C f
! W CO W C C C B 24 Q X CO C C
h 43 C B h
tous son a - vè - ne - ment, De - puis plus de
WWW f
C 24 Q 34 C B
! C C CO h
C B BO B C
ré-son-nez mu - set - tes, De - puis plus de
WW f
Í! W B> C C B B C 24 Q 34 C B B C
> >
plus de qua - tre mille ans, De - puis plus de
fC B
# WWW 24 Q XB C
] B> C C> B B> C 43
plus de qua - tre mille ans, De - puis plus de

WWW B g g
CW C CC O W C C B Q X CB O C CC
! C C C O hC B
C
BO
24 43 C B
> fC B B C
# WWW B C C> B B> C 24 Q 34
C B XB C
B C C B B C
 5

[22 W W g C
! W CO C CXC C S Q Q Q
qua - tre mille ans,
WWW g mf g
! X CO C C C XC C S C CO C C C CO C C
C C C h
qua - tre mille ans, Nous le pro - met - taient les pro - phè - tes,
WW B C
Í! W XC C S Q Q Q
qua - tre mille ans,

# WWW X B C C C S Q Q Q
]
qua - tre mille ans,

WWW C O g C g
! X CO C CC X CC X CC C S C CO C C C CO C C
WC C C h
B C XC C mf
# WWW X B C C C S Q Q Q

[27 W W f
! W C B X CO C C CO X C C B S Q
h h
De - puis plus de qua - tre mille ans,

WWW f g mf
Q CO C C CO g
! C C C CO C C C
h C C C
plus de qua - tre mille Nous at - ten - dions cet
WWW fC B B C CO C XC B S Q
!Í h
De - puis plus de qua - tre mille ans,
fC B BB
# WWW XB C X CO C C S Q
] h
De - puis plus de qua - tre mille ans,

WWW X CC OO C CC CC OO X CC X CC B g
! C B WB WC CO C C C
h h
fC BB B C mf
C O C C W CB C C
# WWW C XB C X CO C C B S Q
h