Echo Carol (As Shepherd watched their Flocks by Night)

Stanley E. Saxton (1904-2002) was professor emeritus of music at Skidmore College. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Syracuse University; he also studied organ with Marcel Dupre and Charles Marie Widor at the American School in Fontainbleau in France, as well as composition with Nadia Boulanger. He held his first church organist job at the age of 12, formed his own orchestra as a college freshman, and toured Europe with Paul Whiteman’s Collegians. A member of the American Guild of Organists, Saxton designed and built many pipe organs in the eastern U.S. He also pursued research in indigenous folk music as source material for compositions, and composed many published works for organ, piano, voice, and chorus.

"Echo Carol" is based upon the well-known hymn/carol melody usually known as "Christmas" and composed by G. F. Handel.
The tune is based on the the beginning of the soprano aria "Non vi piacque ingiusti dei" from the opera "Siroe".

The work was published by by White-Smith Music Publishing Co. in 1940.

Saxton keeps the texture light throughout, and the canons that are going on are quite clever. The atmosphere is all "sparkle" without any of the "mighty dread" part of the scenario.

It is not the more commonly used (at least in English usage) "Winchester Old" that many of us now and use.

The text is by Nahum Tate (1652-1715), and the first verse is as follows:

As (While) shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
An angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around.

MANY THANKS to Carson Cooman for this and for some other Saxton Carols to follow, some still in manuscript.

A photo of Stanley Saxton is attached below.