Description
This beautiful Christmas spiritual is often performed in a gospel manner, with syncopated rhythms and strong dynamics. I have chosen to arrange “Mary Had a Baby” as a simple lullaby. The nearly continuous eighth notes symbolize the rocking of a cradle and the gentleness and love a mother feels for her child. The principal melody rarely disappears but it sometimes interwoven with the familiar and traditional Christmas hymns, “Silent Night,’ “Away in a Manger” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem. This is the eighth arrangement in my Contemplative Spirituals for Solo Piano collection.