Find Light in the Darkness with Winter Sun by Don MacDonald
It’s mid-October – which in the choral world means…Winter Concert music! Whether we like it or not, it is time to start singing about snow and joy and light and all things winter. (This seems especially silly to me now that I live in the South and it is still in the 70s and 80s most days.) One of the first pieces our treble ensemble will be digging into is Winter Sun by Don MacDonald.
With gorgeous six-part harmonies and poignant text by Canadian poet Malca Litovitz, Winter Sun is a nice piece to ease us into the winter season. In this post, I dive into the following aspects of Don MacDonald’s Winter Sun:
- Composer Feature: Don MacDonald
- Highlighting the Poet: Malca Litovitz
- Celebrating Light in Winter
- Word Painting 101
- Winter Sun Teacher Resources
Take a listen to Clovis East High School Choir’s performance of Winter Sun before you read!
“To the Wild Sun of Winter”
There is something magical about a bright, blinding, wild sun on a cold winter’s day. I’ll admit, I don’t looove winter, but if I am bundled up just so, I can appreciate the wild sun on a winter walk. Winter Sun by Don MacDonald evokes an awe and appreciation for the nature of winter that I seldom experience, but always appreciate. Below, read about the composer and poet behind the piece, consider the celebrations of light that influence our feelings about winter, and examine the word painting utilized by the composer in Winter Sun.
Who Is Don MacDonald?
Our second Canadian composer featured on the blog (Miriam Sonstenes was the first), Don MacDonald’s list of compositional accomplishments is impressive. A violinist, saxophone player, and vocalist, MacDonald has found unique ways to use the voice in a variety of musical styles and settings. In addition to his work for choirs, MacDonald has composed extensively for films and orchestras and his music has been performed around the world. Learn more about the composer on his personal website, linked here.
Check out a few of Don MacDonald’s other pieces for choirs:
- I will never get enough of the refrain ofWhen the Earth Stands Still for unaccompanied SATB, SSAA, or TTBB Chorus. Warm and touching and just so pretty.
- With a gorgeous message about the potential of every child, Tabula Rasa presents a worthy challenge for Advanced treble, bass, or mixed ensembles.
- Probably MacDonald’s most accessible piece to date, Carry Me introduces SA voices to chant and “hocketing” while telling the story of a raindrop’s journey.
Poet Feature: Malca Litovitz
Author Malca Litovitz was an English literature and creative writing teacher, editor, critic, mentor, and award-winning poet from Ontario. One of her colleagues described her a a “pyromaniac of the imagination” for her students, “setting fires in their minds and hearts!” Her book To Light, To Water won the 2000 Jewish National Book Award.
Notable pieces of poetry by Litovitz include: Memories of “M”, Four O’Clock, and Correspondent. Throughout her work, the themes of groundlessness, transitional relationships, nature, and responding to illness pervade. How do you see these themes appear within the text of Winter Sun?
Celebrating the Light
The poem Winter Sun is from Malca Litovitz’s larger work “To Light, To Water.” The poet toasts the light and wild winter sun throughout her work. Historically and contemporarily, cultures around the world celebrate light in the winter, often in an effort to brighten the darkest time of the year with family, friends, and food.
Perhaps the original celebration of light, Winter Solstice has been celebrated since ancient times, celebrating the end of the darkest time of the year and the beginning of a new solar year. Other celebrations of light include Diwali, a five-day Indian festival celebrating the light dispelling the darkness of ignorance; Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, a Jewish holiday that commemorates the victory of the Maccabees and lasts eight days; Christmas, celebrated both religiously and secularly; and Kwanzaa, a uniquely African-American celebration rooted in the spirit of connecting with African roots and heritage.
Light imagery associated with winter include the bright winter sun reflected in the snow (seen rarely in some areas of the world during this time), the northern lights, holiday lights on houses, buildings, and trees, and candles in windows or on tables. What other light imagery might we connect to Winter Sun?
Winter Sun: A Lesson in Word Painting
Word painting is the compositional strategy of reflecting the literal meaning of the lyrics through the music. Also known as text or tone painting, this compositional tactic might be reflected in melodies and harmonies, tempos, or dynamics.
Word painting was first seen in Gregorian chants and became especially popular amongst Italian and English madrigal composers. There are many historical and contemporary examples of word painting throughout genres. For example, in Garth Brooks “Friends in Low Places,” Brooks sings “low” on a very low note. In Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito,” we hear the music slow down when the word “despacito” (which means “slowly”) is sung.
Composer Don MacDonald uses word painting throughout the piece. As the lyrics describe the “flow of birds,” a flowing melody is passed from voice to voice; the chord for the word “stars” is etherial with a suspended second; the phrase “dark green trees” occurs at a moment of homophony, reflecting the stability of trees; and the dynamics significantly diminish at the phrase “sleeping hearts.” These compositional decisions add to the mood and effect of the overall piece, presenting a reflective and exquisite mood.
Complimentary Pieces
Want to listen to other pieces like Winter Sun? Or planning a concert and need some programming ideas? Here are a few complementary pieces!
Enjoying Choral Works with a Light Theme?
- The traditional Venezuela Christmas carol Niño Lindo, as arranged by Dave and Jean Perry is a nice introduction to the Spanish language for two-part ensembles as they sing about a radient light in the stable.
- Arranged by Robin Salkeld for SATB or SSAA, Gordon Lightfoot’s Song for A Winter’s Night allows advanced ensembles the opportunity to examine light in a dark place and experiment with unaccompanied folk tonalities.
- If you have a good guitarist and a 3-part mixed or 2-part ensemble, Let Love Light the Way is a fun option for your winter concert, especially if you are performing for younger audiences.
Other pieces I’ve programmed with Winter Sun this winter season:
- Quest of the Kings arranged by Jacob Narverud
- We Toast the Days by Linda Kachelmeier
- Tom Gentry’s Barbershop arrangement of Jose Feliciano’s Feliz Navidad
- John Rutter’s Christmas Lullaby
- The full Winter 2022 Choir Program Roundup
I’d Love to Hear from You!
Have you sung or conducted Winter Sun with your choir? How did you connect the piece to light and winter? What celebrations of light do you celebrate? What other moments of text painting did you notice? Let me know in the comments below!
Winter Sun Teacher Resources!
FREE Winter Sun Reading Comprehension Worksheet
Reading Comprehension Worksheets pull five key points from the blog post above and ask singers to consider the musical decisions they can make with the info from this post. Fill in the form below and get a link to a folder including the Winter 2022 Post Worksheets immediately!
Winter Sun Lesson Plan Bundle
Check out the Inspired Choir Shop for the Winter Sun Lesson Plan Bundle. This bundle includes the following five minute lesson plans, all with connections to National Standards and SEL Competencies:
- Winter Sun Lyrics Bell Ringer
- Celebrate the Light Project
- Winter Sun Connecting the Arts Assignment
- Text Painting Challenge
- Musical Concepts Flashcards
