for SATB and piano or with organ and optional harp
This sequence of six carols explores the role of Mary in the Christmas story, focussing on her human experience within a story of the divine. The writer Georgia Way places the sycamore tree as a central image: from reflecting instability in Mary's emerging adulthood to symbolizing the regenerative power of the human spirit in the work's closing movement. Chilcott's music perfectly depicts the narrative, musically charting Mary's emotional journey through poignant melodies, rich harmonies, and characterful instrumental textures. The carols that comprise Mary, Mother may be performed individually or as a set. The work has two accompaniment options: piano (using this vocal score) or organ and optional harp (using the materials available as digital downloads).
Bob Chilcott has been involved with choral music all his life, first as a Chorister and then a Choral Scholar at King's College, Cambridge. Later, he sang and composed music for 12 years with the King's Singers. His experiences with that group, his passionate commitment to young and amateur choirs, and his profound belief that music can unite people, have inspired him both to compose full-time and, through proactive workshopping, to promote choral music worldwide.
