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Table of Contents
(Click on title to
download MP3 file)
Christmas Night
Ding dong! Merrily on high
I Wonder As I Wander
Sussex Carol
The Holly and the Ivy
Once as I Remember
The Cherry Tree Carol
A Royal Fantasy (Good King Wenceslas)
A Royal Fantasy -
Piano Part
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Carols From Christmas Past.
Carol [F.
n?el;
G. Weihnachtslied; I.
canzone di Natale; Sp. villancico,
c?ntico de Navidad]. In present-day usage, a
traditional song for the celebration of
Christmas. Occasionally the term is used also
for other devotional songs of a joyful
character. (From the Harvard Dictionary of
Music, Second Edition, ? Copyright 1972 by Willi
Apel)
There are many types of carols
out there, many appropriate for liturgical
usage, some not. I have always been drawn to the
carols of old -- music written before the
evolution of some of the more complex forms of
music we know today. Some of these carols and
melodies are dated and the ones that I have
included here are from the 17th century and
earlier. Others are simply labeled ?traditional?
and while it is not possible to date these, I
like to think they come from the same period.
While doing these arrangements, I tried to
maintain the carol form (verses sung
repetitively) and therefore registration is
important if the music is to remain interesting.
I would recommend that you add to or subtract
from your registration at the logical end of the
verse.
I have put these types of
registration changes in the music, but they are
only generic guides, I suggest that you
experiment with them to ?customize? them to your
instruments. In their original form, these
pieces were sung. With some careful
registrations, you should be able to adapt the
vast majority of these arrangement for use as an
accompaniment for your choir if you desire. Many
of the lyrics are available on the internet.
Simply do a search on the song title and many
results should be found. The final arrangement
in this book ?A Royal Fantasy? is a fun postlude
on ?Good King Wenceslas?. It is an organ / piano
duet and I have included the piano part at the
end of the book if you would like to perform it
with a live pianist.
I hope these arrangements help
make your Christmas season enjoyable.
Clay - clay@baacemusic.com
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