Saint-Saëns, Camille : Oratorio de Noèl

Owing to its Latin text, Saint-SaÎnsí Christmas Oratorio has found admirers all over the world. Saint-SaÎns avoids theatrical effects in his church music and relies almost entirely on homophonic choral writing. Here the operatic allusions so popular in his day have given way to a mixture of romantic Èlan and reminiscences of the Baroque. The subtitle reads ì dans le style de J. S. Bachî although the composer was unaware of Bachís Christmas Oratorio.

In this unusual form the oratorio, of which the final movement is already a hit with many choruses, is well-suited for performance during the Advent and Christmas seasons, providing a welcome change from Bach.

– A ìdiscoveryî for Christmas and Advent concerts
– Relatively simple choral writing
– Sensitive organ arrangement