I wrote this little Christmas cantata on November 15 and 16, 2006 for the students of the Jaime Chavinha School of Music, in Minde; they gave its premiered in 2007.
A short overture for 4 flutes begins the work and is followed by a movement for voices, flutes and piano. This is followed by a movement scored only for voices and flutes, with a brief interlude for flutes and percussion. The three final movements again use nearly all of the musicians, since the penultimate movement is a kind of choral hymn, nearly in a German Baroque style, and the finale is a festive apotheosis that involves the complete complement of instruments and choir.
The texts are purposefully straightforward and attempted to approximate the Portuguese popular style. The relative simplicity of the piece, (the choir sings in unison throughout, except in the final number), the modest means involved, as well as its short duration, make this Natal do Menino easily performable for the majority of schools of music (although the piano and percussion parts may demand more advanced students in some passages).