Shepherds' Farewell by Berlioz

Shepherds' Farewell by Hector Berlioz
Arranged for Clarinet Quartet by Hugh Levey

The Shepherds' Farewell (L’Adieu des Bergers) is a well-known chorus from Hector Berlioz’s oratorio, L’Enfance du Christ, Opus 25. The full oratorio was first performed in Paris in 1854, but the Shepherd’s Farewell was written four years earlier; originally as an organ work.

Berlioz is best known for his large scale works like Grande Messes des Morts, Les Troyens, and his Symphonie Fantastique, but the Shepherds' Farewell shows that he was equally adept at gentler and more subdued composition. Despite its gentleness, The Shepherds' Farewell has a strong emotional power. It is often sung as a Christmas Carol.

In this transcription for Clarinet Quartet, the parts mirror the SATB chorus exactly. The brief introduction and the subsequent interludes between the verses were originally scored for two oboes and two clarinets, so it is really effective with a Clarinet Quartet. This arrangement can be used to accompany a choir, singing the original chorus parts. However, it is a semitone lower than the original. The sopranos may thank you for this, but anyone with perfect pitch may not.