This lovely arrangement pairs two complementary melodies that evoke the pastoral setting of the fields of Bethlehem and the stable at which the Nativity of Christ took place.
“Nesem vám noviny” is a traditional Czechoslovakian folk melody, one of the shepherd songs that comprised long-standing Nativity folk dramas of the region of Bohemia. It gained popularity in a German translation (“Kommet, ihr Hirten”) and setting by composer Karl Riedel (1827–1888), and it was translated into English (“Come, All Ye Shepherds”) in 1912 by Mari Ruef Hofer (1859-1929).
“W Żłobie Leży” (“In the Manger He Lies”) is a traditional Polish carol with lyrics attributed to the Polish Jesuit priest and writer Piotr Skarga (1536-1612). It was translated to English as “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” by British organist and educator Edith M. G. Reed (1886-1933) in 1921. The tune’s repeating rhythm pattern — two eighth notes (quavers) on the anacrucis (“pickup,” or “upbeat”) preceding two quarter notes (crotchets) on the downbeat and secondary beat in 3/4 time — resembles that of the mazurka, a Polish folk dance popularized by Frédéric Chopin in 59 different settings for piano.
Score, parts (Bb tpt. 1, Bb tpt. 2, F horn, tbn, tuba) — $12.99
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