Lessons & Carols: "Silent Night, Holy Night" (candle hymn, arr. in 1984 by Robert Chrystal, © 2009) скачать в хорошем качестве

Lessons & Carols: "Silent Night, Holy Night" (candle hymn, arr. in 1984 by Robert Chrystal, © 2009)

Lessons & Carols: "Silent Night, Holy Night" (candle lighting hymn, arr. in 1984 by Robert Chrystal, © 2009 all rights reserved) Candlelight Arrangement by Robert Chrystal, © 2009 [Musical description below contains explanations of the music theory behind this arrangement to assist directors and choirs in their choices.] This recording at the 2025 Faith@Faith Lessons & Carols service captures my original four-part choral arrangement of “Silent Night, Holy Night,” written in 2009 for the candlelit closing of a Christmas service. It was shaped for that moment when the sanctuary grows quiet, the lights dim, and voices are held together by breath, memory, and flame. This setting comes from a lifetime of living inside this hymn—first as a child at the piano in my evangelical church, later at the Hammond B-3 organ, where the sound and gravity of the instrument taught me how harmony can suspend time. One hallmark of this arrangement is the familiar E-diminished sonority, lovingly anticipated by those who sing it year after year, arriving on the phrase “in heavenly peace.” The music lingers there—held on a fermata, suspended—before returning once more to the same words, this time resolving not immediately, but gently. Rather than closing with a simple B♭ major chord, the final cadence blooms through a B♭sus4 / B♭sus9—the alto carrying the fourth, the tenor the ninth—both resolving softly and together into rest. Throughout the hymn, the harmony walks with intention. Instead of relying on primary tonic movement, this arrangement leans into relative minor colors and passing harmonies, creating a quieter, more tender motion. Each word of “Silent Night” descends through the harmony— B♭ (Silent) → Dm7/A (Night) → Gm7 (Holy) → A♭dim7 (Night)— allowing the text to breathe through the chords. Likewise, “All is calm, all is bright” avoids a simple dominant-to-tonic gesture. In its place is a gentle path home: Cm7 → F → E♭ → B♭sus4/9 → B♭, a longer, softer exhale into peace. This arrangement uses only a few modest harmonic embellishments, but always in service of reverence—never spectacle. It has been sung by choirs since 2009, and I have played it in this form for nearly forty years. Thank you for listening, and for sharing this quiet moment of light and stillness. A Kind Reminder About Photography... We warmly invite you to join us in the spirit of reverence during our worship services. For the comfort of all and to preserve a peaceful atmosphere, we kindly ask that no flash photography be used at any time. Flash photography is disruptive both to the liturgy and to live streaming. Thank you for helping us maintain a gentle, sacred space for everyone. Copyright, 2009 by Robert Chrystal, all rights reserved. To use this arrangement in one of your services, please email the composer at rchrystal@redeemerbaltimore.org