L'Adieu des Bergers à la Saint Famille Choral single edition SATB

Originally composed as an occasional piece, Hector Berlioz made his farewell chorus of the shepherds L’Adieu des Bergers à la Sainte Famille (The Shepherds’ Farewell to the Holy Family) the focal point of his sacred trilogy L’Enfance du Christ op. 25. By initially falsely attributing the piece to a fictitious 18th century composer, he well and truly made a fool of his critics: Only after their hymns of praise did he reveal himself as the composer – people were utterly astonished that Berlioz had written this sensitive, gentle melodic part song, having been used to his rather bombastic, eccentric style. Simplicity, a natural expression and delicate shadings of mood dominate the musical events, completely in keeping with the Christmas lyrics.