Pat-a-pan

Here is a lively and intricate setting of the classic French carol that builds to a powerful close. In imitation of the flute and drum mentioned in the carol, the singers play back and forth with their “tu-re-lu-re-lu's” and “pat-a-pat-a-pan's” on interludes throughout the piece. After a straightforward first verse, the second presents the melody mysteriously, in pianissimo octaves, while a “tu-re-lu-re-lu” ostinato trades off in the inner parts. The third verse presents the melody in a three-part canon, and finally, anchored by a powerful 3-part women's texture reminiscent of Britten's This Little Babe, the fourth verse rises to a powerful and rafter-raising conclusion.