Baerenreiter Verlag Es Ist ein Ros Entsprungen Op. 10 (1933) - Distler - Choral Score - Choir Es Ist ein Ros Entsprungen Op. 10 (1933) - Distler - Choral Score - Choir

Composer: Hugo Distler
Format: Choral score
Instrumentation: Choir
Scoring: Mixed choir (SATB)

Hugo Distler's chorale partita "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" is part of his "Weihnachtsgeschichte" (Christmas Story), Op. 10, which followed the success of his earlier work, the "Choralpassion", Op. 7-also premiered in 1933. In both of these a cappella compositions, Distler was guided by the needs of the choirs emerging from the German choral movement, and their desire for "new, contemporary, and easily performable music created [...] in their spirit, which consciously draws on the venerable tradition of the 15th and 16th centuries in order to seek new paths from this perspective" (from the epilogue to "Eine Deutsche Choralmesse", Op. 3).
"Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" is written for four-part mixed choir, though the varied chorale partita includes soloistic sections as well-two voices designated as "Maria" sing the text of the Magnificat while the choir performs a chorale-and a double-choir chorale. To aid practical performance, this edition includes an excerpt from the preface to the "Christmas Story", offering helpful guidance on aspects such as notation, tempo, and dynamics.