On this day earth shall ring

Program Notes

On this day is based on an ancient melody, Personent hodie, first published in 1582. While the original text is in Latin, the more familiar English text is by Jane M. Joseph (1894–1929). Growing up, I always remembered this carol as the “ee-day-oh” carol!

I have an obvious attraction to ancient music, and working on this setting was another fun project—especially working within the confines of an SAB setting and only two octaves of handbells. The limited range of the handbells drives several aspects of the arrangement, and it was a challenge to keep the accompaniment interesting. My previous SAB arrangement with handbells, Of the Father’s love begotten, at least allowed for a flute to add a third color to the mix.

Most of the arrangement is original, and the piece starts off with a variation of the melody. The accompaniment to the second verse (mm. 29–40) is taken from Gustav Holst’s (1874–1934) excellent arrangement, essentially crammed into a single octave (since the bells are playing in octaves).

I do hope to create another version of On this day for SAB and Piano—please let me know if you are interested!

Related Works

Christmas Carols

Lully Lullay · Of the Father’s love begotten · Let All Mortal Flesh · Let Us Be Merry

Other Sacred

Hine ma tov · Reborn by Living Water

Masses

Missa Historiae (Missa Brevis No. 1) · Missa Dramatica (Missa Brevis No. 2) · Missa Cantus (Missa Brevis No. 3)

Modern “Motets”

A light exists in Spring · Break, Break, Break

Performance Notes

Comfortable ranges, simple rhythmic vocabulary (quarter and half notes in unchanging cut time), and strophic repetition place On this day earth shall ring at Level 2 (Easy). The handbell accompaniment and progressive vocal layering make it well suited for church and community ensembles, especially combined choir-and-bell programs.

Notes for Directors

• The four verses layer voices progressively: Soprano leads verse 1, Alto leads verse 2, Bass leads verse 3, and all voices unite for verse 4. During verses 1–3, the non-leading parts sing a rhythmically simple “On this day!” ostinato against the verse melody.
• The “Ideo” refrain sections contain chromatic secondary-dominant inflections (D# and G#) that require deliberate intonation work. These are patterned and predictable, recurring identically after each verse.
• The accompaniment to the second verse (mm. 29–40) is adapted from Holst’s arrangement. The limited two-octave handbell range drives the accompaniment writing throughout.
• The piece broadens at the coda (m. 112, “Broadly”) for the final “in excelsis Deo”.

The Text