Sussex Carol

If you wish to have another version of this popular tune, AAM member June Nixon’s imaginative setting is an excellent candidate. The music abounds in piquancy and wit without ever becoming fussy or clichéd. The jaunty organ part is an equal voice to the choir, sometimes competing with the voices playfully. An organ ritornello favoring the parallel minor takes the place of the repeated first phrase in each stanza until the final stanza which omits the interior phrase altogether to climactic effect. Notwithstanding a brief moment of soprano divisii, the setting would be useful for smaller ensembles.
The Journal of the Association of Anglican Ministers