"Northern Lights" is a choral work composed by Ola Gjeilo in 2013. The piece is set to a poem by Sara Teasdale, an American poet. Here's the full text of the poem, which is also the lyrics to the choral piece:
Text Source: The lyrics are taken from the Latin Song of Solomon (Pulchra es amica mea), which translates to "Thou art beautiful, O my love" . Voicing Options: SATB A Cappella: The original and most popular version . ola gjeilo northern lights pdf
Perhaps the most defining characteristic of Northern Lights is the persistent B-flat pedal point (drone). Often played by the piano or cello (or sung by a section), this drone anchors the piece. It represents the horizon or the vast, unchanging expanse of the northern sky. Even as the harmonies above it shift from major to minor and dissonance to consonance, the drone remains. "Northern Lights" is a choral work composed by