Composer: Anthony EslandDetailsFormat: Mixed Choir - 4 voicesVoicing: SATBIncidental Divisi: S, A, T, BAccompaniment: unaccompaniedNotation: standardPerformance Length: 3:40 Study Scores & Audio FilesStudy Score & Audio Order Printed ScoresOrder site / Alternate source of score: https://www.anthonyesland.com Texts & TranslationsLanguage(s): EnglishText Source: Walter de la MareText: Clouded with snow The cold winds blow, And shrill on leafless bough The robin with its burning breast Alone sings now. The rayless sun, Day's journey done, Sheds its last ebbing light On fields in leagues of beauty spread Unearthly white. Thick draws the dark, And spark by spark, The frost-fires kindle, and soon Over that sea of frozen foam Floats the white moon. Programming AidsPerformance Difficulty: moderateSeasonal Usage: AdventChristmasDescriptive Terms: wintrylyricalelegiacromanticpeacefulAllow Excerpts: Composition is a single movementComposer’s Notes: The text has a chronological timeline, starting with a robin singing alone on a ‘leafless bough’ and ending with the dark gradually drawing in. The narrative of the poem suggests a through-composed structure rather than strophic and I therefore tried to tell a story through my music, so the listener feels as though they’ve been on a journey by the end of the piece. I used divisions for all of the vocal parts at various points to help create a richer, more sonorous quality, and there are moments in the text, such as ‘on fields in leagues of beauty spread unearthly white’, where I deliberately tried to create an aural impression of a vast, frozen landscape. Additional InformationDate of Completion: August, 2011Date of First Performance: Thursday, December 6, 2012Premier Performance Data: St Peter & St Paul Church Choir (Anthony Esland, cond), St Peter & St Paul Church, Great Missenden, UK