The Guardians
Angels & Shepherds
Knox United Church
December 14th, 2025 | 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Program Notes
The Christmas story has been told and retold for many hundreds of years. Aside from the manger trio, the other participants are the angels, the shepherds, and the wise men. Often carols of the nativity make reference to all of them in their telling. This concert focuses on angels and shepherds. I have called them guardians as they tend to “watch over”; the angels from the realms of glory and the shepherds from the fields while watching their flocks. It was not difficult to find musical settings depicting these events. Some are arrangements of familiar carols and some are more contemporary.
Whether it be angel’s or angels’, shepherd’s or shepherds’ the stories are ancient, but their content and message are very familiar, wishing the world to be a kinder and safer place.
James Hawn, Artistic Director
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John Rutter is perhaps the most famous British composer and arranger of carols, often coining the words as well. Angels’ Carol was originally written for upper voices, but Rutter then arranged it for SATB voices for harp, piano, or orchestra. The text alludes to several aspects of the Christmas story, with the Latin refrain, Gloria in excelsis Deo from the angels’ song mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. The opening theme is used to begin each of the three verses. The sopranos and alto begin “eagerly” before being joined by the other voices. In the second verse, the tenors have the first line with the upper voices humming. The third verse is transposed by a shift in harmony and is intensified by imitation. The final refrain also appears in a denser texture with divided sopranos, before the piece ends “tranquilly” with the high voices singing “Christ is born” over the humming men’s voices.
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Angels We Have Heard on High is a traditional French carol that has been arranged by David Chase. Chase states on the inside over of his piece that “the narrator of this Annunciation is a bit coy and vaguely Yoda-esque. It’s not the grand announcement of Hark! the Herald Angels Sing but rather an invitation: listen carefully because amazement is to be heard, just over the next ridge but heading our way. And so I imagine the heavenly hosts going from hillside to hillside, spreading the good news: we hear them approaching from afar. On and on they come, building and building, exclaiming “Gloria” in cascading scales. Then off they go to the next ridge, to the next hillside, to the next cluster of shepherds, leaving the mountains to sweetly echo with joy.”
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Jan Michael Bourgeois – Djembe
. Scott McKnight – CelloSnow Angel by Canadian composer Sarah Quartel was originally written for the women’s choir Les Choristes of Western University in London, Ontario. Since it was first performed in 2002, Snow Angel has had many performances and transformations, but the message still remains unchanged. Quoting the composer, “the work asks the listener to see the tremendous potential present in our children. It celebrates love, beauty, and the strength that a child’s voice can bring to our troubled world.” It is in five sections with a narration after sections one, two, and four. Love, rebirth, and beauty are shown through the eyes of children and the heavenly army of angels that watch over them, yearning to make a difference in their lives. The three angel narrators (each progressively younger) present their perspectives on their earthly charges. Along with piano, a “haunting and poignant cello line” weaves through the work, and a “vibrant part for djembe in the fourth movement carries the listener from the ethereal and mystical realm the work predominantly inhabits into an emphatic anthem with a distinctly African feel.” The five sections are entitled Prologue, Creatures of Light, God Will Give Orders, Sweet Child, and Snow Angel.
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Another favourite seasonal carol is Angels From the Realms of Glory which was written by Henry T. Smart and arranged for our performance by Dan Forrest. The composer wrote that “this new arrangement seeks to wrap the traditional tune in more vivid musical garb. As the piece unfolds, listen for the angels’ celestial music, a light appearing to the shepherds, a sense of urgency for the journey of the wise men, and then, finally, a gathering of all these characters along with ‘all creation’, joining to praise the Trinity for the wonders of Christ’s birth.” Forrest has arranged this piece for piano, four hands. Each verse becomes more filled with energy and increases in tempo as it moves relentlessly to its joyful and climactic conclusion.
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Janet Wilson – Organ
You, the audience, will also have a chance to sing. The section about the angels concludes with us all singing the well-known carol Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and the section about the shepherds ends with another familiar carol, While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night. Both of these carols end with a rousing descant on the last verse.
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The Shepherds’ Farewell is from L’Enfance du Christ – Opus 25 by Hector Berlioz. It consists of three stanzas in which the four-part harmonization remains the same. There is a serenity throughout, and the final verse is sung very softly, as the shepherds depart the stable in which Christ was born and move on with their flocks. “The shepherds offer a form of blessing on the child and ask him to remember them as he goes away, reminding him to recall the ‘shepherds’ lowly calling’ and exhorting his parents to guard well their ‘heavenly treasure safely through the wild.” Originally written for full orchestra, we will have it accompanied on the organ.
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Dan Forrest has also arranged a traditional Austrian carol called The Shepherds’ Carol. Once again, the story of the angels and the shepherds is intrinsically bound together as they tell the old familiar story. This is a gently flowing rendition which broadens for verse three and calls for exuberant and passionate singing before ending quietly a cappella. In many ways the piece seems to sing itself!
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Bob Chilcott’s The Shepherd’s Carol was published in 2001 for the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. John Rutter wrote, “For my money, this is the most beautiful modern carol there is. It brings on cascades of tears every time.” Quite an accolade! Chilcott makes full use of the choir humming “a gentle backdrop to the narrative.” Phillip Cooke wrote that “despite its subdued hues, the work does swell to an ecstatic crescendo on the words ‘Oh, a voice from the sky’ where the celestial brightness of the Christmas star is represented by chords full of diatonic dissonances and expressive colour.” He continues by writing that “the piece gradually slows and recedes with more humming and a softly intoned D major chord, somehow managing to be both melancholy and fulfilled in equal measure.”
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Quem Pastores Laudavere (Shepherds Left Their Flocks A-straying) is an anonymous carol dating from 14th century Germany. Here we hear about the shepherds and the wise men who make their way to the stable and ask us all to “sing his praise with exultation.” Our version is arranged by none other than John Rutter. The first verse is introduced by the sopranos who are then joined by the other three voices to end the verse in four-part harmony. Verse two is sung by the tenors and basses while the upper voices accompany them on “ah.” The final verse has part of the choir singing the original tune of the carol while the rest sing a four-part chorale underneath.
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Janet Wilson – Organ
You, the audience, will also have a chance to sing. The section about the angels concludes with us all singing the well-known carol Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and the section about the shepherds ends with another familiar carol, While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night. Both of these carols end with a rousing descant on the last verse.
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Another piece by John Rutter (words and music) is Shepherd’s Pipe Carol which was composed by him while he was an undergraduate at university in 1966. It was published a year later at the behest of Sir David Willcocks. Rutter says that he believed his inspiration came from when he sang as a boy soprano in the opera Amahl and Night Visitors and heard pipe music as the title character headed to Bethlehem. The lyrics depict the time after the annunciation to the shepherds and are in third person and tell about a shepherd boy playing pipe music on the way to Bethlehem.” The boy later states that he will perform his music for the baby Jesus when he reaches his destination. The carol is to be sung lightly and lively. Each verse (except for verse 3) ends with a similar harmonization to the text “angels in the sky brought the message nigh, Dance and sing for joy that Christ the infant king is born.” The piano has a spritely quality that enhances the joyfulness of this piece and imitates the pipe.
Text and Translations
John Rutter (b. 1945) : Angels’ Choir
Have you heard the sound, of the angel voices,
Ringing out so sweetly, ringing out so clear?
Have you seen the star shining out so brightly
As a sign from God, that Christ the Lord is here?
Have you heard the news that they bring from heaven,
To the humble shepherds who have waited long?
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Hear the angels sing their joyful song.
He is come in peace in the winter's stillness,
Like a gentle snowfall in the gentle night;
He is come in joy like the sun at morning
Filling all the world with radiance and with light.
He is come in love as the child of Mary;
In a simple stable we have seen his birth:
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Hear the angels singing "Peace on Earth".
He will bring new light to a world in darkness,
Like a bright star shining in the skies above;
He will bring new hope to the waiting nations
When he comes to reign in purity and love.
Let the earth rejoice at the Saviour's coming;
Let the heavens answer with the joyful morn:
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Hear the angels singing "Christ is born".
Arr. David Chase: Angels We Have Heard on High
Traditional French Carol
Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.
Refrain:
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be,
Which inspire your heavenly song?
Refrain:
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come adore on bended knee,
Christ, the Lord, the newborn King.
Refrain:
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Sarah Quartel (b. 1982): Snow Angel
Narrator’s parts written by Lisa Helps
1. Prologue
All his angels, all his heavenly armies,
Open your eyes, sweet child.
Narration 1
First Angel
On a rock, head in hand, I sit. Long, white hair falls now to my lap and my old, tired wings rest now at my side. Peaceful. Still.
Dawn. I watch the day come into being: the gentle approach of the sun, the world above, the world below, graced with light. And I, witness of thousands of dawns, can’t help but remember, this morning near my passing, a time long ago when for a moment these wings, which define my very angelhood, became invisible.
There was a spring festival in the countryside where I had been sent. Adults and children alike danced and celebrated the end of winter’s shelter, the bountiful green beginnings, the harvest to come. My task was very unique, you see, for I was sent to gather light. Our world then – our world now – both bleak and bright, always on the brink of night. So as the townspeople danced and sang, I opened my magic leather sack and let their light flow in. I went from town to town in this way, and in each town I passed through, people greeted me with a generosity of spirit and gentle kindness. Yet, seeking light, I had little time to respond in kind. When I arrived in the last village, just when I had almost enough light, I was stopped.
“I’ve heard about you,” said a young man, close to the age I was then. “You are the angel gathering light to save us all from the world’s night.”
“That’s right”, I said, a little too proudly perhaps for an angel.
“But if you are truly an angel then where are your wings?”
I was puzzled for a moment, sure that my wings were where they had always been – strapped onto my back with heartstrings. But I tried to flap, nothing. I looked behind me, nothing. Then, panicking, I looked into my magic bag…nothing. Where is the light?
2. Creatures of Light
Creatures of light, such as still play,
Like motes in the sunshine, round the Lord,
And through their infinite array,
Transmit each moment, night and day,
The echo of his luminous word!
Creatures of light.
When earth lay nearer to the skies
Than in these days of crime and woe,
And mortals saw, without surprise,
In midair, angelic eyes
Gazing upon the earth below.
Creatures of light.
Narration 2
Second Angel
I’m Grace. That’s what my Father calls me anyway, although most days I’m not sure why. My friends call me Gray, ‘cause I’m somewhere in the middle, between black and white, boy and girl, angel and human. I do have wings though, and I’m seventeen and hip so they’re tattooed, and I’ve even got a piercing in my nose. So this is how it goes. We’ve been hanging around up here for a while now. Waiting for heaven to fall. Waiting for a call. Every day we look out across the sky, across the city – the urban playground for earthbound teenage angels. And every day we look: we see the city spread, we watch with dread the trees disappear, the rivers run dry – we anticipate the end of thousands of harvests.
We watch, with fascination, angels in human form look without seeing, hear without listening, touch without feeling. I watch compassion disappear as if it were simply going out of fashion. Compassion. Out of fashion as I suppose my own wings might be, tattooed, when I’m old and wise.
So in a flurry I transcend the borderland of the sky between you and me. I swoop down into the heart of New York City, of Montreal, of Moscow. I creep quietly through graffiti-covered alleyways, looking for a message. Looking for direction. I look into the eyes of the people passing by for a message, for direction. And on one corner sits a woman, with a boy child. She looks at me with innocent eyes. I touch her face gently. She smiles, then cries. Around the bend near the end of yet another shop-lined street lies a man. I help him to his feet.
And then I come to you.
You look at me as if I were anything but heaven-sent. You cannot see past my tattoos, my piercings, past all of me that is different from all of you. Yet I am also the same, you see, and so you let me take your hand. “Let me show you compassion,” I say. I lead you to what used to be a garden; it was your Father’s when you were a child. But you had forgotten, you see, and in the meantime it became a parking lot. “But look,” I pointed. And there, pushing up through the pavement, a solitary red flower, unselfconsciously perfect. “I remember,” you assure me, and so I leave you graced, an adult child in the garden of your Father.
3. God will give orders / 4. Sweet child
God will give orders to his angels about you,
And all his angels, all his armies sing:
Do not think poorly of these little children.
All of them have an angel in heav’n,
And all their angels can see the face of the Father.
Sweet child, hear my song.
Sweet child, I will guard you.
Sweet child, you’re the future.
Love and mercy show to others.
Faith like a child, can hear the song,
A song that falls on ears of those who wait,
Like a child, for peace to come.
And trust that we will learn to show them love,
Like a child, who knows no wrong
From being loved by those who’ve taught them.
Faith, like a child, forever strong.
The circle goes on.
Sweet child!
I will guard you.
I will show you how to love!
Narration 3
Third Angel
I am a small angel. Eight years old to be exact. I have a crooked nose and tiny wings. I like them because they make me a little bit different from everyone else, and that makes me special. I know I’m a special angel for other reasons too. Because I’m one of the only angels my age who has a human friend. She’s like me – eight. Where she lives its almost springtime, and the flowers in her mother’s garden are poking their heads up through the snow. But she’s sad. At first I thought it was because she couldn’t see her own wings, but I learned the other day it’s because her best friend moved away and she doesn’t know who to love anymore. She is what adults call ‘lonely’. But I am a young angel with a big heart and tiny wings, and I know how to love. So I went to visit her before bedtime the other night as she sat at her window looking out a winter’s end. She smiled as I danced and sang my song, and she giggled, hiding her face in her hands, when I threw myself into the snow and flapped my wings. And when I got up there was a picture of me left behind in the snow. And I felt happy because the little girl had laughed. And I felt happy because she could see love, like a picture in the snow.
First Angel
“Sweet child”, I say, here at dawn from the rock of my old age. Sweet children. What do we do when the snow melts, when love remains, although love’s imprint is gone? Once upon a time I told you I couldn’t see my wings. Not because they weren’t there, but because in seeking light, I had forgotten how to give it. The energy of generosity, of compassion, of love, is circular. Inside we know no differently.
Look and see.
Hear and listen.
Touch and feel.
Each of us, inside, a child in the garden.
A flower pushing through pavement.
An angel in the snow.
Go.
5. Snow Angel
I went to my window one bright winter’s morn and gazed at the new fallen snow.
The world overtaken by flurries of white had set my surroundings aglow.
I looked to the heavens seeking the source of this wonderland newly appeared.
When there I spied a snow angel holding the flakes and spreading them near.
She sang: “Even though the snow may blow; there’s not a wind can stop my music.
For I know that winter shelters life.”
On silver-blue wing-tips she soared through the air ensuring the flow’rs were warm.
She knew that her snowflakes would blanket the earth and keep all its friends safe from harm.
I thought for a moment she must be a dream, this angel with silvery wings.
But then I discovered she was heaven-sent as her icy lips opened to sing.
She sang: “Even though the snow may blow; there’s not a wind can stop my music.
For I know that winter shelters life.”
When she knew that the flow’rs were asleep, she beat her wings faster to go.
But soon, looking back on the work she had done, she let herself fall to the snow.
I saw for a moment the smile on her face ‘fore she launched herself back in the air.
I’m sure there are many snow angels in heav’n, but now I have one down here.
I sing: “Even though the snow may blow there’s not a wind can stop my music.
For I know that winter shelters life!
Henry T. Smart (1813-1879): Angels from the Realms of Glory
Arr. Dan Forrest (b. 1978)
Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.
Refrain:
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing;
Yonder shines the infant light:
Refrain:
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations;
Ye have seen His natal star.
Refrain:
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
All creation, join in praising
God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
To th’eternal Three in One.
Refrain:
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847): Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Arr. David Willcocks (1919-2015)
(Audience join in on verses 1 and 3)
1. Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing o'er the plain
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strain
Refrain:
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
2. Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be?
Which inspire your heavenly songs?
Refrain:
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
3. Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ Whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ, the Lord, the newborn King.
Refrain:
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): The Shepherds’ Farewell
From L’Enfance du Christ, Op. 25
Thou must leave thy lowly dwelling,
The humble crib, the stable bare.
Babe, all mortal babes excelling,
Content our earthly lot to share.
Loving father, loving mother,
Shelter thee with tender care.
Blessed Jesus, we implore thee
With humble hearts and holy fear,
In that land that lies before thee,
Forget not us who linger here.
May the shepherd's lowly calling
Ever to thy heart be dear.
Blessed are ye beyond all measure,
Thou loving father, mother mild;
Guard thee well thy heavenly treasure,
The Prince of peace, the holy child.
God go with you, God protect you,
Guide you safely through the wild.
Arr. Dan Forrest (b. 1978): The Shepherds’ Carol
Traditional Austrian Carol
Angels did sing.
As lately we watched o’er our fields through the night.
A star there was seen of such glorious light.
All through the night, angels did sing
Carols so sweet of the birth of a King.
His throne is a manger, His court is a loft.
But hosts of bright angels, in strains sweet and soft,
Him they proclaim, our Christ by name,
And earth, sky, and air straight are filled with his fame,
Earth, sky and air proclaim:
Then Shepherds, be joyful, salute your new King,
Let hills and vales ring to the song that ye sing.
Blest be the hour, welcome the morn
For Christ our dear Saviour on earth now is born.
All through the night, angels did sing
Carols so sweet, for the birth of a King.
Bob Chilcott (b. 1955): The Shepherd’s Carol
We stood on the hills, Lady,
Our day’s work done,
Watching the frosted meadows
That winter had won.
The evening was calm, Lady,
The air so still,
Silence more lovely than music
Folded the hill.
There was a star, Lady,
Shone in the night,
Larger than Venus it was
And bright, so bright.
Oh, a voice from the sky, Lady,
It seemed to us then
Telling of God being born,
Lady.
And so we have come, Lady,
Our day’s work done,
Our love, our hopes, ourselves
We give to your son.
John Rutter (b. 1945): Quem Pastores Laudavere
German, 14th century
Latin Text:
Quem pastores laudavere,
Quibus Angeli dixere,
Absit vobis iam timere,
Natus est Rex gloriæ.
Ad quem magi ambulabant,
Aurum, thus, myrrham portabant,
Immolabant hæc sincere,
Nato regi gloriæ.
Christo Regi, Deo nato,
Per Mariam nobis dato,
Merito resonet vere,
Laus honor et gloria.
English Translation:
Shepherds left their flocks a-straying,
God’s command with joy obeying,
When they heard the angel saying:
‘Christ is born in Bethlehem.’
Wise men came from far, and saw him:
Knelt in homage to adore him;
Precious gifts they laid before him:
Gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Let us now in every nation
Sing his praise with exultation.
All the world shall find salvation,
In the birth of Mary’s Son.
Arr. David Willcocks (1919-2015): While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night
Este’s Psalter, 1592; Version 4 harmonized by T. Ravenscoft (1592-1635)
(Audience join as indicated – verses 1,3,5 and 6)
1. While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around.
2. ‘Fear not,’ said he (for mighty dread)
Had seized their troubled mind;
‘Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind.’
3. ‘To you in David’s town this day
Is born of David’s line
A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;
And this shall be the sign:’
4. ‘The heavenly Babe you there shall find
To human view displayed,
All meanly wrapped in swathing bands,
And in a manger laid.’
5. Thus spake the Seraph; and forthwith
Appeared a shining throng
Of angels praising God, who thus
Addressed their joyful song:
6. ‘All glory be to God on high,
And on the earth be peace;
Goodwill henceforth from heav’n to men
Begin and never cease.’
John Rutter (b. 1945): Shepherd’s Pipe Carol
Going through the hills on a night all starry
on the way to Bethlehem,
far away I heard a shepherd boy piping
on the way to Bethlehem.
Angels in the sky brought this message nigh:
"Dance and sing for joy that Christ the newborn King
is come to bring us peace on Earth,
and he's lying cradled there at Bethlehem."
"Tell me, shepherd boy piping tunes so merrily
on the way to Bethlehem,
who will hear your tunes on these hills so lonely
on the way to Bethlehem?"
"None may hear my pipes on these hills so lonely
on the way to Bethlehem;
but a King will hear me play sweet lullabies
when I get to Bethlehem."
Angels in the sky came down from on high,
hovered o'er the manger where the babe was lying
cradled in the arms of his mother Mary,
sleeping now at Bethlehem
"Where is this new King, shepherd boy piping merrily,
is he there at Bethlehem?"
I will find him soon by the star shining brightly
in the sky o'er Bethlehem."
"May I come with you, shepherd boy piping merrily,
come with you to Bethlehem?
Pay my homage too at the new King's cradle,
is it far to Bethlehem?"
Angels in the sky brought this message nigh:
"Dance and sing for joy that Christ the infant King
is born this night in lowly stable yonder,
born for you at Bethlehem."
Artist Information
James Hawn, Director
Photo Credit: Amy Violet Photography
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James Hawn, Director of Music since 2003, has been active with the Saskatoon Chamber Singers for most of its history, and has been involved with singing and choirs for as long he can remember. Prior to his current appointment as Director, he was a long-time member of the bass section, and served as the choir’s president for ten years. James has also been actively involved in national and provincial choral organizations for over twenty-five years. He is a member of the Saskatchewan Choral Federation (SCF) and Choral Canada and has served for a number of years on both organizations’ boards. In 2006 he was presented with the SCF’s Pro Musica Award, which recognizes “exemplary service to choral music in Saskatchewan.” James was an English language arts teacher for thirty- two years with the Saskatoon Public Board of Education. During that time he also taught music, was involved in choral and church music, musicals, and drama both in the school system and in the community.
Connor Elias, Collaborative Pianist
Photo Credit: Rebecca Fisher
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Connor Elias is a pianist from Martensville, Saskatchewan. He holds a Bachelor of Music Honours from the University of Saskatchewan, as well as an ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Connor has many influences and include his teacher Bonnie Nicholson. Throughout his undergrad, Connor has received various accolades at provincial and national music festivals, including second in the 2023 Saskatchewan Concerto Competition and third in the 2022 Canada West for piano solo. Apart from piano, Connor is involved as a chorister in the Greystone Singers, conducted by Dr. Jennifer Lang. He enjoys teaching his wonderful piano students, laughing with friends, and spending time with his family.
Janet Wilson, Organ
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Janet Wilson is the Minister of Music at Grace-Westminster United Church. She is also the Musical Director of Zodiac Tapestry Handbells, a community based handbell choir. A graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, Janet received her Bachelor of Music with Distinction. She also holds Associate Diplomas from Trinity College of Music, England, in both piano and pipe organ performance. As a freelance accompanist, she works with many soloists, instrumentalists, schools, and choirs in the city.
Scott McKnight, Cello
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Cellist Scott McKnight is an active performer and teacher in Saskatoon. He is a member of the Saskatoon Symphony and co-director of Prairie Virtuosi. In addition to performing, he maintains a private studio, teaches with the Saskatoon Suzuki String Program, and is a sessional instructor at the University of Saskatchewan. Scott holds a master of music degree in cello performance (University of Ottawa), a bachelor of music in cello performance and a chamber diploma (Wilfrid Laurier University).