Anonymously penned, the 15th century poem, I syng of a mayden, is a mystical meditation on the Annunciation and Nativity of Christ.
Elements of Elizabethan polyphony blend with dreamy chromaticism in English composer Arnold Bax’ 1923 five-part a cappella setting of the text. As the five verses unfold, the majestic melody gives way to variation, only to return in the triumphant final moments.
This 2017 recording features The Choir of Westminster Abbey, led by James O’Donnell:
Here is a modern English translation of the poem:
I sing of a maiden
That is immaculate,
King of all kings
For her son she chose.He came as still
Where his mother was
As dew in April
That falls on the grass.He came as still
To his mother’s bower
As dew in April
That falls on the flower.He came as still
Where his mother lay
As dew in April
That falls on the spray.Mother and maiden
There was never, ever one but she;
Well may such a lady
God’s mother be.
Recordings
- Bax: I Sing of a Maiden That Is Makeless, James O’Donnell, The Choir of Westminster Abbey Hyperion Records
Featured Image: Westminster Abbey at dusk during the Christmas season