In 2018, I started composing a series of anthems for the four Sundays of Advent. As of this writing, nearly two years later, two of them are finished, and one has been performed. This is that one!
Intended for the second Sunday, this is a setting of a portion of Micah's prophecy regarding a messiah to come from Bethlehem. The text jumped out at me thanks to the title phrase--"o Bethlehem Ephratah" just has an innate, undeniable musicality. From that little seed grew a rather lively piece, considering its minor modality and momentous message: set in dizzy 6/8 time with a flowing, pumping organ line, it's always felt very Middle Eastern to me (aptly, I think).
And, as ably directed by Dan Booher for the Crawfordsville Community Chorus's 2018 Christmas concert, it never feels too much like a haunted carousel. There's a fine line, y'all.
(Special thanks to my wife, Jessica, for getting a really good phone recording!)