Two Christmas Ballads

Beautiful poems by American poets Sara Teasdale and Phyllis McGinley, each telling a very human Christmas story. Teasdale's “Carol” contrasts the magnificence of the songs of angels and kings with the baby Jesus, who“fell asleep before the song was done.” McGinley's “Ballad” is a retelling of the ancient legend of Befana the Housewife, always too busy to greet the new-born babe until it is too late. The ChoralJournal called these two pieces “brilliant choral writing...enthusiastically recommended...”