The Shepherds' Christmas Voice - Sheet Music

SKU: PR.617682650

UPC: 680160430109.

“The Shepherds' Christmas” is based on one of the most famous nativity plays of the Middle Ages, The Second Shepherd's Play, one of the Wakefield plays. It is rare among plays of its kind, being the first to introduce social commentary and a sense of compassion for the poor. But it is also known for its odd humor and its unique manner of dealing with a religious theme in a way that combines realism and symbolism. Synopsis Scene I: Three shepherds appear on the moor and complain in turn of the bitter weather, the bitterness of marriage, and the bitterness of bondage and being poor. Mak the thief then enters, his eye on a fat sheep. He lies down to rest with the shepherds, puts a charm on them so they won't wake up, and then steals the sheep. Scene 2: Mak and his wife Gill in their hut. Mak brings in the stolen sheep. How shall they keep the shepherds from finding it? The shrewd Gill hatches a piot: they will put it in the cradle, covered with blankets, and pass it off as another baby in their big family. Scene 3: Mak returns to the moor and lies down with the shepherds, who then awake. The young third shepherd has dreamt that a man dressed in a wolf's skin has stolen one of their sheep; Mak pretends to have dreamt that his wife has just given birth to a baby. The shepherds then go off to tend their flocks, not yet aware that a sheep has been stolen. Scene 4: Mak and Gill rehearse the performance -- including a lullaby to the sheep/baby -- they plan to put on when the shepherds arrive. Scene 5: On the moor, the shepherds discover that their fattest sheep is missing. Suspecting Mak, they set off for his hut. Scene 6: The shepherds visit Mak's home. They search the house in vain. They are about to leave when the third shepherd stops at the door: it would be rude to go without kissing the baby and giving it a simple gift. Mak and his wife try to keep the shepherds from approaching the cradle, but one by one they come to pay their respects and thus discover their sheep. The first two shepherds are ready to kill Mak, but the third suggests a more merciful punishment: they toss him in a blanket. Scene 7: On the moor, exhausted after their sport, the shepherds rejoice in having found their lost sheep. They fall asleep. An angel appears, announcing the birth of their savior in Bethlehem. They march off to worship the babe, singing their own rustic version of the angel's song. Scene 8: In the manger in Bethlehem, the three shepherds kneel and offer their simple gifts to the child who is king of all things.