Voicing: SATB, a cappella with opt. viola or cello
Arranged by Charles Forsberg
As a young boy I remember hearing this beautiful melody sung once with Swedish text in my Lutheran congregation. Upon listening to it four years ago, it struck me that the tune would, with Christmas text, be a wonderful song to celebrate Christ's birth. The opening measures and interludes of the choir on "ooh" seem to suggest the peaceful joy of that starlit night and the mother holding the child as in a lullaby. And the viola/cello accompanies the choral sound in a counterpoint that complements the melody in subtle phrasing and notes within and around the choral texture.
Optional viola part is provided for "In Winter's Night" by Charles Forsberg.