"Born a Stranger" [Ruth Morris Gray]

"Born a Stranger" [Ruth Morris Gray]

First line of lyrics: Before the paling of the stars

Gray, Ruth Morris; music (American, born 1961)

Rossetti, Christina Georgina; text (English, 1830-1894)

2012 [copyright]

Jubilate Music Group, LLC., Alfred Music Publishing Co. Inc.

genre: choral music|song|Christmas music|carol|sacred music

chorus: SATB chorus

instrumentation: piano

initial sharps/flats: one sharp

initial time signature: 4/4

other version 1 - chorus: SSA chorus

other version 1 - instrumentation: piano

other version 1 - initial sharps/flats: one sharp

origin: United States

female composer

English

Rossetti poem(s): "A Christmas Carol" ("Before the paling of the stars")

Notes about the text: In the third line of the lyrics, the composer changed the words from "Before the earliest cockcrow" of the poem to "Before the mourning dove could sing". The second stanza of the poem is omitted. The first line of the third stanza of the poem is changed from "Jesus on His Mother's breast" to "Jesus in his Mother's arms," in the second last line, the word "hoary" is changed to "grey", and in the last line, the word "glory" is repeated twice. The musical rendition repeats the first stanza an additional one and a half times, ending with the fourth line.

Tempo markings: quarter note = ca. 88

Performance instructions: "Expressively"

Recordings: "Born a Stranger." J.W. Pepper, https://www.jwpepper.com/Born-a-Stranger/10306861.item#/submit. Accessed 8 Sep. 2021.

Format 1: musical score

8 pages; performance time ca. 3 minutes

Cataloguer: Elizabeth Whicher, University of Ottawa

This score is copyright protected. A score can be consulted here: "Born a Stranger." J.W. Pepper, https://www.jwpepper.com/Born-a-Stranger/10306861.item#/submit. Accessed 8 Sep. 2021.

Record: CRM-christmascarolbefore-gray

"Copyright © 2012 by Alfred Music Publishing Co. Inc. All Rights Reserved."

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