That Yönge Child
That Yönge Child won the 2011 VocalEssence Welcome Christmas carol contest, and was subsequently premiered and aired on a nationally syndicated radio broadcast. The piece has enjoyed many performances since then.
I wrote the work shortly after the birth of my son, Otto. The poem and the sound of the English Horn both evoked a baby's cry, which was foremost on my mind, at the time! To me, the poem subtlety, I would say subconsciously, foreshadows the crucifixion in the "hoarse" sound of the nightingale. A double-sharp appears in that section, the sign of the cross. The entire work is based on the opening motive in the oboe.