A medley of four Christmas carols of French Origin: Noël nouvelet (Sing We Now of Christmas), Un flambeau, Jeanette, Isabelle (Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabelle), Il est né, le divin enfant (He Is Born, the Holy Child), and Minuit, chrétiens (O Holy Night). Arranged as a "fantasy-sonata" the first movement is driving, the second is a sweet lilting waltz, the third is a lighthearted take on the melody that alternates between "jaunty" and "solemn" (briefly employing bitonal harmonization) before launching into a blues variation. The finale is a "slow R&B" reimagining of O Holy Night that can be thought of somewhat as the love ballad reprise at the end of a Disney movie.

The trio lasts 9 minutes, and is suitable as a prelude or postlude for a church service or as part of a holiday recital. The difficulty is advanced, though the writing is simple enough that it should be able to be put together with minimal rehearsal time.

For more information, please contact graham.yates@gmail.com

Arranger Derek Hasted writes "This is a very straightforward trio arrangement of the slow and gentle piece "Carillon", composed for, and played by Sky.

(I've also written a duet version, where Guitar 2 and 3 are merged onto one guitar)

Guitar 3 would suit a complete beginner with just a few months' experience - and what a thrill to be part of a piece that John Williams played!

Guitar 2 is an arpeggio accompaniment that uses simple and common shapes.

Guitar 1 ventures up the neck, but it's such a slow piece that this is really straightforward."

This would be great in a school concert, but also an adult ensemble would find it a crowd-pleaser that takes little effort to perform! 

This is one of a growing range of accessible ensembles from experienced arranger Derek Hasted, and is supplied as full score and parts with no page turns in the part scores. Check out Derek's other arrangements - search SheetMusicPlus for Derek Hasted and you'll see the full list, all with soundclips and sample score.