Description
The Shepherds’ Farewell (L’adieu des bergers) is one of the best-known segments of Berlioz’s Christmas oratorio L’Enfance du Christ (The Childhood of Christ). The Shepherd’s Farewell was originally a piece for organ, composed in 1850 for Berlioz’s friend Joseph-Louis Duc. He subsequently reworked it as a choral work in which the lyrics describe the heartfelt farewells, protective blessings, and prayers of the shepherds as the Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus flee Bethlehem for Egypt.
Berlioz was accustomed to his music being received with great hostility, so, at its first performance, Berlioz decided to pass it off as the work of an imaginary 17th-century composer “Ducré”. He was gratified to discover many people who hated his music were taken in and praised it. The audience’s positive reception may well have been because, unlike much of Berlioz’s output, this piece has a ‘gentle and simple style’ which suits the subject matter perfectly.
