L'enfant au tambour

This French carol for SATB voices tells the story of a small child who hears his father has followed the soldiers' drums and gone to heaven. The child resolves to give his own little drum for his father's return. Hearing this, the angels take up their own drums and tell the child his father is back, whereupon the child falls asleep. The music captures the naive charm of the story with its repeating rhythmic motif, evocative of the child's footsteps and the insistent beat of the drum, building to a gentle, peaceful conclusion. It is a touching Christmas piece for mixed choirs.