Karen Beaumont (b. 1965) — A Colombian Christmas Rondo (2023) for organ
The composer writes: “I wanted to take on the challenge of writing a rondo. In seeking a theme, I asked a priest that I know who is from Colombia if he had any favorite folk songs from his native country that I might use. We decided on two Christmas carols—‘Los peces en el Río’ and ‘Vamos, pastores, vamos.’ The text from these carols drove the nature of the music written.
“The refrain of ‘Los peces’ describes the fish in the river drinking the river water in order that they may see God—a lively, fantastical image that I endeavor to represent in the recurring rondo motif. The verses of this carol are much different; they describe the Virgin Mary engaging in quotidian activities—cleaning, for instance, and brushing her hair. These intimate and tender scenes gave the intermediary musical sections some contrast.
“I wove ‘Vamos, pastores, vamos’ into the intermediary sections, embracing the text's story of the shepherds following the command to run and see the Christ Child—with the goal of expressing the clarion call and also the swift footedness needed.
“The penultimate section, before the final statement of the rondo theme, contains elements of both texts—reflecting the way they are complimentary and somewhat contradictory.”
American organist Karen Beaumont (b. 1965) received her degree in Music History from the University of Wisconsin and studied organ with Gerre Hancock, John Behnke, Jeffrey Peterson, and Carol Haakenson. Beaumont has performed as a recitalist in numerous venues throughout the USA and the UK. From 1988 to 2011 she provided the organ and choral music for St. James Episcopal Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her album of classic French noëls was released on the Pro Organo label in 2020. Her musical compositions have been publis
Published by SMP Press
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