Usher in the Morning
“break forth,
o beauteous heavenly light,
and usher in the morning”
“then let us all rejoice amain
on Christmas day in the morning”
“rejoice with heart & soul & voice:
now ye hear of endless bliss”
Medley of: Ermuntre Dich, I Saw 3 Ships, & Good Christian Men Rejoice
The introduction is Ermuntre dich, mein schwacher Geist, a chorale from the early 17th century with words by Johann Rist and music by Johann Schop. I’ve followed fairly closely J.S. Bach’s harmonization from the Christmas Oratorio, where the words as translated by John Troutbeck say, “Break forth, o beauteous heavenly light, and usher in the morning.”
I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In has always danced for me, so this piece closes with an almost dizzy jig, now that the morning is ushered in. Good Christian Men Rejoice sneaks into the fun.