A Mediaeval Lullaby (The Holy Mother Sings) - "Resonet in laudibus / Joseph lieber, Joseph Mein"

When I was first "learning" to play the organ, my mother bought me a "Christmas book" at the local K-Mart. It was a red and green book called "Christmas Organ Album Fourteen Characteristic Pieces", and was published by J. Fischer & Bro. Fischer was located in Glen Rock, New Jersey, and the year of publication was 1961.

My guess is that she bought this book around around 1967 or 68, so, it had probably sat on the shelf for quite a few years. Not many sales of organ music in K-Mart!

Anyway, I used to sit and lovingly look through the book. It looked terribly complicated, and, considering that I did not read music, impossible to understand! I was intrigued by the registrations: "Sw. strings, Solo reed, Flute stops, etc.," even though I didn't know what they meant.

I used to say, "Some day, I'm going to do these!"

Now, with this and the "Noël" by George Frederick McKay, I've finished the book, except for a few standard pieces that are in many Christmas anthologies.

There is NO mention of the composer or arranger of any of these pieces. some of which are extremely well done.

Thanks to Carson Cooman, I can now say these wonderful arrangements were done by Howard D. McKinney, founder of the music department at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

"A Mediaeval Lullaby (The Holy Mother Sings)" is based upon the famous "Resonet in laudibus / Joseph lieber, Joseph mein". It's very nicely done, but it is fussy, assuming you want to bring out the color and variety that the arrangement calls for. :-)

The score is attached below, as well as a photo of Kirkpatrick Chapel at Rutgers, where McKinney played an E. M. Skinner organ.

I wish you all blessings of the season!