Sleep, holy babe!

Though Frederick Delius was in no sense a man of traditional religious beliefs, the distinguished composer and organist Derek Healey has imagined the sound of a Christmas carol he might have written, and given us Sleep, Holy Babe!, a delightful unaccompanied SATB setting of Edward Caswall’s classic hymn.

The result will delight all lovers of Delius’s music, and not least those who wish to add a dash of his unique style to this year’s Christmas festivities. A slow and expressive lullaby, Sleep, Holy Babe! adds a different nuance to each of the four verses, reflecting their changing moods. In turn, sopranos, tenors, basses and altos have solo roles, and together create a richly Delian sonority that stays well within the technical range of an average choir.