Christmas Prelude Carol (Silent night, Holy night)

Stanley E. Saxton (1904-2002) was professor emeritus of music at Skidmore College. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Syracuse University; he also studied organ with Marcel Dupre and Charles Marie Widor at the American School in Fontainbleau in France, as well as composition with Nadia Boulanger. He held his first church organist job at the age of 12, formed his own orchestra as a college freshman, and toured Europe with Paul Whiteman’s Collegians. A member of the American Guild of Organists, Saxton designed and built many pipe organs in the eastern U.S. He also pursued research in indigenous folk music as source material for compositions, and composed many published works for organ, piano, voice, and chorus.

"Christmas Prelude Carol" exists only in manuscript, which is undated. Viewing the writing is manageable, but there are obvious errors. For one thing the notes do not line up too well, so, I've "fitted them in" as best as I could.

After to listening to this, you may agree with me that it's an odd setting of the famous tune!

The format is A-B-A. The tune is hinted at from the very start, but there are also strong elements of the Thanksgiving hymn, "We gather together". I don't think this was "intended," but that's just a guess.

The middle section features the melody in the left hand tenor register. Here again there are problems with underlay, and the note values don't always seem to "add up" properly.

The middle section also has the feeling of a ship rolling at sea. Listen and you'll hear what I mean...

The opening material returns, although the dynamics are softer.

MANY THANKS to Carson Cooman for this and for some other Saxton Carols to follow, some still in manuscript.

A photo of Stanley Saxton is attached below.