What Child is This? Vocal Duet with Violin

What Child is This, is the hymn I chose for the New Testament lesson “Good Tidings of Great Joy” studying Christmas! “What Child is This” was written in 1865 with the text by William Chatterton Dix and set to the tune of “Greensleeves”, which is a traditional English Folk Song. The context of the carol centers around the Adoration of the Shepherds who visit during the Nativity of Jesus. The questions posed in the lyrics reflect what the shepherds were possibly pondering to themselves when they encountered Jesus, with the rest of the carol providing a response to their questions. This arrangement is a vocal duet with piano and violin. I have three lovely ladies who recorded this arrangement with me, Emily Clark on the Violin, Audrey Nelson on the piano and Tiffany Tolman singing vocals with me. We had a lot of fun with this song!

The Sheet Music for this arrangement can be found here: http://marileekaymusic.com/sheet-music/ 

I found the following story about the composer fascinating:

• At the age of 29 [William Chatterton Dix] was struck with a near fatal illness and consequently suffered months confined to his bed. During this time he became severely depressed. Yet it is from this period that many of his hymns date. His near-death experience brought about a spiritual renewal in him while he was recovering. During this time, he read the Bible comprehensively and was inspired to author hymns like “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus!“, What Child is This? and “As with Gladness Men of Old“.

In the Come Follow Me Manual, the lesson begins with the following introduction:

• Why does the birth of a baby bring such great joy? Perhaps because a new baby can be a symbol of hope. There’s something about a brand-new life full of possibilities that invites us to ponder what life might hold for that child and what wonderful things he or she will accomplish. Never has this been truer than at the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Never has there been more hope placed in a child, and never has there been one born with so much promise.
• When an angel invited shepherds to seek a newborn child in a manger, he also gave them a message about that child. It was a message of hope—that this baby had come to earth to fulfill a sacred mission. The shepherds made their message “known abroad … and all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:17–19). Perhaps it would be good to follow Mary’s example this Christmas: to ponder in your heart the things you have learned about the Savior this year. How did He fulfill His mission of redemption in the accounts you have read? And more important, how has His mission changed your life? Then you might feel inspired to follow the example of the shepherds: how will you make it “known abroad” what Jesus Christ has done for you.

I personally have noticed that my love of the Savior has deepened as I have worked on this project for over a year now. Arranging these hymns and sacred songs has been such a blessing to me and has brought more and more of the light of Christ into my life, so thank you for listening.

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This video is published on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MarileeKayMusic/ and short reels of the video are posted throughout the week on Instagram & Facebook @comefollowmemusicbymarilee

Select images and film used within this music video come from churchofjesuschrist.org (“The Christ Child, a Nativity Story”) and Steve Pierce Photography.