Mary Finlayson The Three Women of Christmas A sacred song cycle for four solo voices with piano and flute accompaniment Mary... soprano Elizabeth... Mezzo Anna... Contralto Evangelist... High baritone 1. Recitative, "The Angel Gabriel... " Evangelist 2. Mary, After the Angel Mary 3. Recitative, "Behold thy cousin" Evangelist 4. Elizabeth's Song to Mary Elizabeth 5. Recitative, "And Joseph also went... " Evangelist 6. Mary's Song to Joseph Mary 7. Recitative, "After the days..." Evangelist 8. Mine Eyes Have Seen Anna the Prophetess Evangelist's text taken from Luke, chapters 1-2 Thirteen minutes
For Elizabeth Mary Anna Hassell, born December 25, 1984 The Three Women of Christmas Flute Voice Piano 5 The Angel Gabriel was sent (Evangelist) q = 60 q = 60 The An -gel Ga - bri - el was sent from God to Na - za reth p Mary Finlayson in Ga - lil - lee to a vir - gin e - spous - ed to a man named 8 2. Hail, Mary (Evangelist) a little faster Jo - seph, and the vir - gin's name was Ma - y. a little faster
3 11 Hail, Ma - ry, thou art high - ly fa - vored. 15 The Lord is with thee Fear not, 19 the Ho - ly Ghost shall come u - pon thee and the Ho - ly Child born of thee
4 22 ad lib shall be called the Son of God p 26 q = 80 Mary, after the Angel (Mary) q = 80 Why, out of all the pos - si - bi - li - ties a - 31 round me, is it I who'll be mo - ther of God's Son?
5 36 Why, when the my - ste - ries of heav'n con - found me, and sur - round me with doubt and 40 fear? Yet, still un - know - ing will I fol - low, o - ver - flow - ing with the 45 won - der that God sent an an - gel to me.
6 50 Yet, still un - 55 know poco rit. - ing will I fol - low, o - ver - flow - ing with the won - der that God sent an an - gel to poco rit. 60 q. = 56 4. Behold thy cousin (Evangelist) me. animato q. = 56 Be - hold, thy cou - sin E - animato
7 65 liz - a -beth has al - so con - ceived a son, a wo - man bar - ren and in her old age. A 70 mar - ve -lous work is done for with God no - thing shall be im - pos - si - ble, 74 slower no - thing im pos - si - ble. Then Ma - ry made haste to go to Ju - dah and slower
8 82 q = 159 5. Elizabeth's song to Mary (Elizabeth) there found E li-- za - beth to greet her. q = 159 89 Ma - ry, bless - ed Ma - ry, how the child of my womb 94 leaps at the sight of you car - ry - ing the Babe, the Ho - ly Child, our De - li - v'rer, our
9 98 King Ma - ry, tell me, 103 Ma - ry, how the an - gel con - soled thee 108 What of Jo - seph? Tell me ev' ry - thing
10 113 I too have a sto - ry to tell, a 117 mi - ra - cle of my own. My son, a mi - ra - cle child, 121 born af - ter hope was gone
11 125 130 Ma - ry, dear - est Ma - ry, oh what joy we know in work God has gi - ven us 134 Ca - ring for the chil - dren, one a pro - phet, the oth - er the
12 138 King Ma - ry, mo - ther Ma - ry, soon His world will re - 143 ceive Him. Heav'n will shout and her - ald an - gels 147 sing! poco rit.
6. And Joseph also went (Evangelist) 151 13 And Jo seph - al - so went 157 up to Beth - le - hem with Ma - ry his e - spous - ed wife to be taxed. 163 slowing gradually to the end And while they were there the days of her de - li - ve - ry were ac - slowing gradually to the end
14 168 com slowing gradually to the end - plished. And she brought forth 173 q = 92 7. Mary's Song to Joseph (Mary) her first - born Son q = 92 178 Stan - ding near a man - ger by a Child not your
15 184 own, your arm held gent - ly 'round me. I will not be a - lone. Jo - seph, dear 190 Jo - seph, so kind and so true, my heart knows on - ly com - fort in you 196 An an - gel came to tell you God's Son would be born, your Ma - ry to be His
16 202 mo - ther. You might have mocked me in scorn. But you be - lieve an - gels, you stayed by my 208 side to shield us, to pro - tect us, to a - bide 213 To - ge- - ther we will love Him and make Him a home. You'll
17 218 teach Him to be a man a - mong men. but He will be the Sa - vior, the 224 pro ritard - mised Mes - si - ah, Christ, the Re - deem - er, love with - out end. ritard 230 a tempo Jo - seph, see the ba - by, how He
18 236 smiles in His sleep. What joy, and oh what sor - row, there'll be times when we'll weep. But 242 we be - lieve an - gels sent down from on high. We two, we'll raise a Sa - vior, Jo - seph, 248 you, poco rit. you and I. poco rit.
254 q = 126 8. After the days (Evangelist) 19 q = 126 260 3 Af - ter the days of pur - i - fi - i - ca - tion, Jo - seph and Ma - ry took the 266 babe to Je - ru - sa - lem. They took Him to the
20 272 tem - ple to pre - sent Him to the Lord 278 There. on the steps stood a wo - man of great 284 age, a wor - ker in the tem - ple called An - na the Pro -phet - ess.
21 290 marcato And when she saw Him, she re - cog - nized her Sa - vior, 296 the Son of God p q = 88 9. Mine eyes have seen (Anna) 302 q = 88 molto rubato molto rubato Mine eyes have seen what was pro - mised to
22 307 me Oh Lord, my God I will praise Thee for - e - ver 312 I will doubt Thee, no ne - ver mine eyes have seen seen and be - 317 lieved. All a - round us are see - ing. See - ing is - n't be - liev - ing. 3
23 322 My heart be - lieves. How long I have wait - ed for this 3 327 day. Now I see a ti - ny babe, my Sa - vior cra - dled in this mo - ther's 331 arms. Mine eyes have seen what was pro - mised to
24 335 me. Oh Lord, my God I will praise thee for - 339 e rall. - ver. Mine eyes have seen rall. 343 a tempo My heart be - lieves! a tempo