This Little Babe from A Ceremony of Carols
Benjamin Britten
Alternative embedded performance: Britten — This Little Babe, choral performance. The preferred recording remains linked on YouTube.
First listen
Listen once without writing. What do you notice?
Listen closely
1 TEXTUREHow does the music change as more voices enter?
Sentence stemThe texture becomes ___.
Vocabulary
- thicker
- thinner
- more layered
- less layered
2 PITCHAre the voices singing in the same or different pitch ranges?
Sentence stemThe voices sing in ___ pitch ranges.
Vocabulary
- the same
- different
- high
- low
3 DYNAMICSDoes the music grow louder or softer?
Sentence stemThe music grows ___.
Vocabulary
- louder
- softer
- gradually louder
- gradually softer
4 RHYTHMWhich quick rhythmic shapes are copied by different voices?
Sentence stemThe voices copy ___ in a ___ rhythm.
Vocabulary
- a short phrase
- the same words
- quick
- repeated
5 ARTICULATIONHow clearly and sharply do the voices pronounce the words?
Sentence stemThe voices sound ___ because the words are ___.
Vocabulary
- crisp
- energetic
- clear
- strongly accented
How does this piece make you feel?
There is no right or wrong answer. Which words match your response?
calmexcitedhopefulcuriousjoyfulpowerfulpeacefultensedreamybravethoughtfulenergeticmysteriouscomfortedrestlessproudsadsurprisedupliftedfocused
Music through time
1942 · 20th-century choral
- Medieval500–1400
- Baroque1600–1750
- Classical1750–1820
- Romantic1820–1900
- 20th century1900–2000
- Contemporary2000–present