What Sweeter Music was composed in 2001, and was a finalist in the Amadeus Choir Christmas Carol competition. The piece was revised in 2019.

Duration: ca. 4:15

SATB with divisi

What Sweeter Music

Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

What sweeter music can we bring

Than a carol for to sing

The birth of this our heavenly king?

Awake the voice! Awake the string!

Dark and dull night fly hence away,

And give the honour to this day,

That sees December turn to May,

If we may ask the reason say:

We see him come, and know him ours,

Who with this sunshine and these showers

Turns all the patient ground to flowers.

The darling of the world is come,

And fit it is we find a room to welcome him.

The nobler part of all the house here is the heart.

Which we will give him and bequeath

This holly and this ivy wreath,

To do him honour who’s our king,

And Lord of all this revelling.

What sweeter music can we bring

Than a carol for to sing

The birth of this, our heavenly king?

Awake the voice! Awake the string!

For this the birth of our heavenly king.

Arrangements in other voicings may be available (sometimes at additional cost). Contact Alex to enquire.

The following scores /parts are available to add to your cart:

• Choral short score (with piano reduction)

• Choral score with organ

• Full score with organ and brass quintet

• Parts: organ, brass quintet

Your honesty is appreciated, when it comes to ordering the scores and parts you need. This is (part of) how composers make their living.

Alex Eddington will email you a licensed PDF file within 3 business days.

Program Notes

Coming soon