Description
Here's the world premiere of my setting of the folk song, "All Through the Night" by the Villanova University Band, Elizabeth Sokolowski, Dorector, conducted by Assistant Director, Dave Orehowsky, on November 23, 2025 at the Mullen Center for the Performing Arts on campus at Villanova University.
"All Through the Night" is a tender, moving setting of the Welsh folk song, “Ar Hyd y Nos,” often sung with English lyrics (written for the tune in 1884) as a lullaby or evening blessing.
Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping
Hill and vale in slumber sleeping,
I my loving vigil keeping
All through the night.
As you listen, imagine parents tucking their children in for the night, singing a lullaby or telling a fanciful bedtime story. The piece builds to a climax, signifying the parent’s love, but near the end a tonal shift signals the children drifting off to sleep, feeling safe and secure under the umbrella of their parent’s protection.