Score: 3 pages, String parts 1 page each. The First Noel arranged for Alto Sax & Piano with new harmony for the final verse.

Origins
The First Noel is an English Christmas carol. Even more, it was probably written in the late Cornish Renaissance period. While other versions spell the title as Nowell, this is just a colloquial variation. Furthermore, Noel is an older word meaning ?Christmas.? Therefore ?the First Noel? translates as ?the First Christmas.? First of all, Gilbert and Sandy published the earliest version. As a result, this version appears in the ?Carols Ancient and Modern? songbook of 1823. William Sandy edited and arranged the book. Similarly, his partner Davies Gilbert edited and added the familiar extra verses. The First Noel: String Quartet Version comes with new harmony in final verse for more energy and drive.

Stainer
Organist and composer Sir John Stainer published the most noteworthy customary arrangement in the 1870?s. Stainer is above all famous for his songbook entitled: Christmas Carols New and Old (1871). This volume served as an important catalyst for reviving the English Christmas carol. Other famous Stainer arrangements from this book are such titles as What Child Is This, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Good King Wenceslas, and I Saw Three Ships.

Diatonic Function
The melodic structure in the First Noel is uncommon among English folk tunes. It simply repeats one phrase twice then follows a variation refrain. All three phrases of the song end on the mediant scale degree. This is unusual because the diatonic function of the mediant is non-final compared to the more usual tonic or even dominant degrees. Consequently, this gives the song as kind of open-ended feeling ? like maybe it never really ends.

Political Context
The Catholic clergy sang carols outside of the church in Latin. After the Protestant Reformation, the reformers thought it would be better for everyone to sing carols. They decided to bring music back to the common folk. So, they translated the lyrics from Latin into common language. Moreover, the Protestants wanted more control over the music in church than what the Vatican allowed. Protestant composers such as William Byrd composed complex polyphonic Christmas music that they called carols. Nonetheless, some famous folk carols were composed in this era. Eminent composers in the nineteenth century began to revise and adapt them. Consequently, they revived the English carol.

18 Easy Gospel Duets Vol.2 for Violin and Cello is a beautiful collection of your best-loved Gospel Hymns and Spirituals. They are arranged simply in the most suitable range and keys for one Violin and one Cello.

The standard is early intermediate to intermediate. Players with a year or two?s experience will enjoy playing these duets, with plenty of interest in both parts and imaginative arrangements. These duets are ideal for use in concerts or worship, formal or informal. Click on the link above to hear samples of these duets performed on YouTube, performed on Clarinet.

The hymns are in alphabetical order and are as follows

� O Mary Don?t You Weep,

� O When the Saints,

� Old Time Religion,

� Onward Christian Soldiers,

� Rock of Ages,

� Shall We Gather at the River,

� Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus,

� Standing in the Need of Prayer,

� Swing Low Sweet Chariot,

� Steal Away,

� There is a Fountain Filled with Blood,

� There is Power in the Blood,

� This Little Light of Mine,

� Wade in the Water,

� Were You There?

� What a Friend We Have in Jesus,

� When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder,

� When We All Get to Heaven.

If you like these duets, then there are another 18 just like them in Volume 1. To find them copy and paste 18 Easy Gospel Duets Vol.1 for Violin and Cello in the Search Bar above. There are also longer and more challenging arrangements available in 10 Gospel Duets for Violin and Cello.

18 Easy Gospel Duets Vol.2 for Violin is a beautiful collection of your best-loved Gospel Hymns and Spirituals. They are arranged simply in the most suitable range and keys for two Violins.

The standard is early intermediate to intermediate. Players with a year or two?s experience will enjoy playing these duets, with plenty of interest in both parts and imaginative arrangements. These duets are ideal for use in concerts or worship, formal or informal. Click on the link above to hear samples of these duets performed on YouTube, performed on Clarinet.

The hymns are in alphabetical order and are as follows

� O Mary Don?t You Weep,

� O When the Saints,

� Old Time Religion,

� Onward Christian Soldiers,

� Rock of Ages,

� Shall We Gather at the River,

� Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus,

� Standing in the Need of Prayer,

� Swing Low Sweet Chariot,

� Steal Away,

� There is a Fountain Filled with Blood,

� There is Power in the Blood,

� This Little Light of Mine,

� Wade in the Water,

� Were You There?

� What a Friend We Have in Jesus,

� When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder,

� When We All Get to Heaven.

This is a book of 6 Christmas solo arrangements with piano accompaniment (or backing tracks). It contains popular Christmas classics, each of which has at least 2 verses which are arranged in different ways. You can try them all and see which you like best! They range from Easy-Intermediate to Advanced-Intermediate in difficulty; a solo part and a piano accompaniment are provided for each piece, as is a backing track on YouTube. This is the full list: 1. Jingle Bells 2. Ding Dong Merrily On High 3. Joy To The World 4. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen 5. O Little Town of Bethlehem 6. Silent Night Free backing tracks are provided for each piece; these can be heard in the video above and the link is also printed in the front of the book for future use.