Morning Has Broken

This beautiful song is used as a popular hymn tune in many churches, but its roots are in folk song rather than sacred music. It begins with a statement of theme in 9/8 meter in Bb major, with movement in the harmonic voices, and it is followed by three variations. The first, still in Bb, is in 6/8 like a jig, the second is in C major as a processional march, and the final variation is in Eb major and is quite a surprise, in the Latin swing style. Independent rhythmic reading is essential to the success of the performance, and some experience with syncopated swing rhythms would be advantageous. Duration is only two and a half minutes and range is two octaves from high F down to low F. The variety of meters, keys, and styles creates some challenges in the performance even though short in duration.