Bob Chilcott's The Shepherd's Carol is a masterpiece of the genre. The anonymous words are very evocative and add to the sense of mystery created by the music. If you have the forces, this would be an excellent piece to perform.

Vorwort
For my money, this is the most beautiful modern carol there is. John Rutter, The Telegraph

Autorentext
Bob Chilcott has become one of the world's most widely performed composers and arrangers of choral music. His compositional output reflects his wide taste in music styles and his commitment to writing music that is both singable and communicative. He has been involved in choral music most of his life he was a chorister and then a choral scholar in the choir of King's College, Cambridge, and was a member of the British vocal group The King's Singers for whom he made a number of popular arrangements of well-known songs from all genres. As well as being a full-time composer he is also a highly acclaimed choral conductor. He has been privileged to conduct many choirs all over the world. He is Principal Guest Conductor of The BBC Singers and in 2019 he was appointed Principal Conductor of Birmingham University Singers. His music has been widely recorded by many choirs and groups including The King's Singers, Tenebrae, and The BBC Singers.

Zusammenfassung
for SATB unaccompaniedThe text is a beautiful poem by Clive Sansom (1910-81) that narrates the experience of the shepherds, drawn by starlight to the baby Jesus. The lovely, poignant melody of folk-like simplicity is supported by languid and atmospheric harmonies. The effect is a sublime marriage of poetic imagery and music.