Stanton’s Staff Selections: New Christmas Titles for High School Band Thursday, October 18, 2012
Now that marching band season is almost over, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas and winter concert programming. If you’re looking for something new, our band staff is excited to share our favorite new arrangements for high school concert band!
Christmas is Coming! is a charmingly inspired celebration featuring a dynamic, fanfarish opening on the distinctive Olde English Carol, delightfully contrasted with a swingin’ break strain based on Up on the Housetop.
Designed as a companion, or alternative, to Leroy Anderson’s enduring favorite, A Christmas Festival, Christmas Spectacular features popular carols not found in the Anderson arrangement including The First Noel, Here We Come a-Caroling, O Little Town of Bethlehem, I Saw Three Ships, Once in Royal David’s City, and more gift-wrapped in a variety of styles – march, swing, Latin, and more!
Inspirational carols’ uniquely arranged combination contrasts the sweet, singing lullaby of Midnight Clear with the darker tonalities of Coventry for an extraordinarily musical hybrid that is truly distinctive in Bill Calhoun’s It Came Upon a Coventry Carol.
With a fanfare emphasis on the brass and percussion section, David Shaffer has woven 4 classic Christmas carols (God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen; Angels We Have Heard on High; Coventry Carol ; Ding Dong, Merrily on High) into an energetic medley full of holiday cheer! ‘Twas the Night Before… is perfect as an opening holiday fanfare or dramatic closer, and the optional antiphonal brass will put your performance over-the-top!
Yuletide Festival is a festive array of carols (We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Good King Wenceslas, Deck the Halls), cleverly combined to make spirits bright and concerts a success.
Your percussionists will have the chance to shine playing varied styles on the appropriately titled Yuletide Tapestry, an enjoyable medley of five Christmas favorites: Sing We Now of Christmas, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, The Holly and the Ivy, and Deck the Halls.
For more festive holiday options, check out the Christmas & Holiday category on our concert band webpage, or Christmas & Winter categories on our Listening Library, and don’t forget to add your favorites to your Wish List. If you’ve missed our previous blogs highlighting some of the year’s new concert band music, check out our features on Holiday Alternatives for Concert Band, New Young Band Christmas, Must-Hear Young Band, and Haunting New Titles for Concert Band, and keep your eyes on the CB News tab on our concert band page as we’ll be running regular features on a whole variety of new music for concert band!