Abends, will ich schlafen gehen - Sheet Music for mixed choir Engelbert Humperdinck

When a choir strikes up the Evening Prayer from Humperdinck's "Hänsel und Gretel," something truly special fills the room. These mixed choir arrangements are well suited to ensembles with around two years of choral experience. The homophonic writing makes the learning process considerably more straightforward.

Choir Sheet Music "Abends, will ich schlafen gehen" – Heartfelt Evening Prayer for Mixed Choir

Engelbert Humperdinck wrote this piece as part of his fairy-tale opera "Hänsel und Gretel," which premiered in 1893. The Evening Prayer is one of the opera's most beloved moments — fourteen angels standing watch over a sleeping child give the text its central image. In a choral setting, this scene unfolds quite differently from the vocal score: four voices carry the protective prayer together, lending it a warmth that stays with you long after the final note.

The piece is set in C major — clear, open, and free of harmonic digressions. The melody moves within a range of just over an octave plus a minor third, sitting comfortably in the middle register without demanding extreme vocal ranges. What defines the piece are its short legato slurs: Humperdinck writes not in long, sweeping lines but in detached, carefully articulated phrases — which calls for attentive listening and unified breathing from the choir. The tempo is calm and flowing, the pulse carrying the melody like a gentle lullaby.

• Main challenge: occasional large interval leaps
• Ideal for: choral concerts, Advent and Christmas performances, school concerts
• Tempo: 92 – calm and flowing

The occasional interval leaps are easy to prepare by first singing them slowly and without rhythm — simply find the target pitch, secure it, then place it back into the phrase. The short slurs need clean releases: singers who genuinely let go of the air at the end of each small phrase give the piece back its breath. The Evening Prayer is particularly effective when the dynamics are fully realised: where Humperdinck swells, the choir carries the image of the angels — where he pulls back, the music becomes as quiet as a goodnight gesture. Making those contrasts audible is the true heart of the rehearsal process.

A short demo audio preview gives you an initial impression of the piece. The sheet music for "Abends, will ich schlafen gehen" is available for immediate download after purchase. 100% licensed — ready to perform legally, right away.

Editorially reviewed by the notendownload.com team