Merry, Merry! Friday, October 25, 2019
recommended by Jen Sper and Lora Moore, School Choral Music Specialists
Ready to program your upcoming holiday concert? Maybe you need just ONE MORE perfect piece to round out your winter programming. Let Stanton’s help! Here are some of the best new releases for school choirs this season, in many different styles and varying levels of difficulty:
FOR HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR
Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella arr. Mark Burrows, SATB with piano & optional flute
Light and dance-like contrasting with flowing legato, this traditional French carol arrangement sparkles and gleams for the holiday and Christmas season. The piano accompaniment with optional flute gently supports the vocal writing, helping the piece develop and build to a full and joyous ending.
Christmas Processional (A Vocalise) arr. Linda Spevacek, SATB with piano & optional Indian or alto flute (flute, cello, or viola), chimes, tom-toms and handbells
From its soulful opening Indian Flute solo on “Huron Carol” leading into the joyous strains of “Ukrainian Bell Carol,” this innovative vocalise approach to a processional will immediately captivate your audiences. Additional traditional carols featured in this unique medley are: “The Coventry Carol,” “Pat-a-pan” and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The additional instrumentation (Chimes (G), Tom-Toms and Handbells) will add color, texture and drama to your performance.
Esta Noche arr. Andy Beck, SATB with piano & optional percussion
Feel the joyful lilt of this traditional Spanish Christmas carol, rendered beautifully in the original language. This well-crafted arrangement offers solid choral scoring and a sturdy piano accompaniment for the festive nativity-themed text. A comprehensive translation/pronunciation guide is included, and optional percussion parts are available free online.
Hydom, Tiddlydom arr. Mark Burrows, SATB a cappella with percussion
The word “hydom” mimics the drone of bagpipes. The word “tiddlydom” represents the rhythm of the drum. This traditional Czech carol onomatopoetically recreates the sounds of these festive instruments with a cappella charm and brilliance. The English text recounts shepherds, angels, Mary, Joseph, and the little child. In the middle, a contrasting legato section lets the beauty of the voices shine before returning to playful choral textures. Simple parts for hand drum and tambourine are included.
Yuletide Carols arr. David Chase, SATB with piano & optional flute, cello and harp
Two carols under one cover, creatively arranged by Broadway and musical theatre icon David Chase. “Deck the Halls” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” are two up-tempo carols that will fill out your holiday programs for years to come. Including these with David’s previously published, best selling carols (“The First Noel,” “God Rest Ye,” “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “Together at Christmas”) and you have the most creative set of traditional carols ever.
FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL CHOIR
A Calypso Noel by Victor C. Johnson, 3-part mixed with piano & optional percussion
Infuse some island flavor into your holiday concert with this delightful, rhythmic original. A bright, lightly syncopated accompaniment and the addition of Shakers and Claves add to the authentic calypso feel. Limited ranges and lots of repetition in the vocal parts add to its accessibility. A Learning Resource Page is included.
Christmas Canon of Peace by Ruth Morris Gray, SAB with piano
Longfellow’s text is set with additional words and music by Ruth Morris Gray and the piano accompaniment is based on Pachelbel’s “Canon in D.” Together, it creates a sweet choral singing “ding dong” gently above the verses with use of an optional descant as well. A mature and meaningful selection for developing choirs.
Merry, Merry! by Mary Lynn Lightfoot, 3-part mixed with piano
What sets this spirited choral apart from the rest is its use of minor! The celebratory anthem has a surprising harmonic twist with the carol “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” What a wonderful gem for your holiday program that will certainly stand out and be a great finish for your concert!
Rise Up, Shepherd and Follow arr. Greg Gilpin, 3-part mixed with piano
Gilpin’s original holiday song, based on a well-known text, is full of syncopated rhythms, interesting and accessible harmonies and is supported by a pulsating piano accompaniment. Choirs of varying abilities will sound fantastic at holiday time and will find the song fun to learn and perform.
Tollite Hostias (from Christmas Oratorio) by Camille Saint-Saens/arr. Audrey Snyder, 3-part mixed with piano & optional string quartet
Excerpted from the beautiful Christmas Oratorio by Saint-Saens, this movement is a wonderful addition to any Christmas, Winter or general middle school concert program. The optional string quartet accompaniment lifts this work to the top of your program.
FOR TREBLE CHOIR
Adorar al Nino arr. Alejandro Rivas, SSA with piano & optional instrumental ensemble
Here is a sweet carol from the Venezuelan tradition. The text is in Spanish with an easy to read phonetic pronunciation guide. Piano, triangle and claves are provided in the choral score but an expanded instrumentation including flute, oboe, clarinet and string bass will make this a real feature in your Christmas concert.
Maria Wiegenlied by Max Reger/arr. Niall Kinsella, SSA with piano
This song by Max Reger originally appeared as a solo song for voice and piano. In this arrangement, the melody appears in all vocal lines creating interest for all of the singers. The lilting melody creates a feeling of a Pastoral.
FOR TENOR/BASS CHOIR
The Boar’s Head Carol arr. Jimmy Baas, TBB with piano
Baas’ arrangement of this bold, exciting beloved carol is sure to delight audiences throughout the year. The unisons and rich harmonic offerings are empowering for tenor bass choirs making this a programming MUST!
Program with the pros by contacting us, or browse our website for more ideas. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!
About the Authors:
Jen Sper has been with Stanton’s since 2006. A former middle school and high school choral director, she holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory of Music. An active choral singer and accompanist throughout the Central Ohio area, she also enjoys good food, running (to counteract the good food…) and the Muppets.
Lora Moore joined the Stanton’s choral staff in July 2018. A former middle school and high school director of 32 years, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Choral Music from Capital University and a Master’s of Arts in Choral Music from The Ohio State University. Currently she is a church choir director, operates a private voice/piano studio and is active as a clinician and accompanist. During the off hours, Lora enjoys scouting out new day trips in Ohio to balance what her budget allows for her frequent trips to New York City to visit family and take in a Broadway show or two!