This Night

This Night (2020)
by David Biedenbender
performed the Michigan State University Wind Symphony
Mary Schneider, conductor
2023 American Bandmasters Association Convention
Lied Center, Lawrence, Kansas
The original version of This Night is a Christmas hymn that was written for Minneapolis-based choir VocalEssence. This arrangement for band was created for Alex Kaminsky and the VanderCook College of Music Symphonic Band. The text for the choral version is a setting of the text Dies ist die Nacht, da mir erschien­en, (“This Night a Wondrous Revelation”), which was written in 1683 by Caspar Fried­rich Nach­ten­höf­er. I used an English translation of the original German poem by Anna B. Hoppe from 1922, which also serves as the text for the Christmas hymn of the same name, commonly set to the tune O Dass Ich Tau­sen Zun­gen, written by Johann B. König in 1738. I chose this text because of the beautifully vivid imagery and metaphors for light in the poetry, and because I really enjoy the simple, common rhyme and phrase structure that encouraged me to write simple, clear music.
There are also arrangements for saxophone quartet and saxophone choir.
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