?The Holly and the Ivy? is an English traditional Christmas carol whose text features imagery from both pagan and Christian beliefs. By ancient tradition, holly was considered a masculine symbol while ivy was feminine; and in the lyrics of the carol each characteristic of the holly is symbolic of Jesus. The holly?s lily-white flower = Jesus? purity; its red berry = Jesus? blood or humanity; its prickle = Jesus? crown of thorns or suffering; its bitter bark = the bitter drink Jesus was offered on the cross, or the bitter cup he drank in taking upon himself the sins of the world. The tune on which this arrangement is based was collected and published by the English musicologist Cecil J. Sharp in English Folk-Carols (1911). ©Copyright2013 Todd Marchand / ConSpiritoMusic.com

?The holly and the ivy/When they are both full grown/Of all the trees that are in the wood/The holly bears the crown.? So go the opening words to this cheerful, upbeat Christmas song. The lyrics appeared as broadsides in early nineteenth century Birmingham, England. The melody was first published in Cecil J. Sharp?s 1911 English Folk-Carols; on page 63 of the collection?s ?Notes on the Carols? section, Sharp wrote that he heard the tune sung by "Mrs. Mary Clayton, at Chipping Camden." (An alternative version linked the words to a melody identified as "old French carol.") This version is a fast-moving and fun treatment of the Sharp/Clayton melody. It includes, among other things, a call-and-response variation, a running tuba solo, an alternative ?verse? tune and a countermelody section featuring ?Deck the Halls.? There are two key changes, trumpets play a couple of B-above-the-staff notes, and the time signature changes from ¾ to 4/4 near the end. Completed in 2016, this arrangement runs about 3 minutes, 20 seconds. Contact the arranger, Les Smith, at lessmith@ufl.edu. If you like this one, don?t miss Les? arrangements of ?Silver Bells,? ?Jingle Bells,? ?Jolly Old St. Nicholas,? ?Up On The Housetop,? ?Deck the Halls? and many other Christmas songs and carols. Enter "Sweetwater Brass Press" (without the quotation marks) in the SheetMusicPlus search box.

Scored fortwo Trumpets in Bb, Horn in F, Trombone, Tuba, and Optional Organ. Christmas, Performance 2 minutes.

?Still, Still, Still? is an Austrian carol and lullaby thought to have originated c. 1819 in the state of Salzburg. The tune appeared for the first time in Salzburgische Volkslieder mit ihren Singweisen (1865), a collection of folk songs from Salzburg compiled by Maria Vinzenz Süß (1802-1868), with the text attributed to G. Gotsch. Although a number of verses exist, three are commonly sung in their English translation: ?Still, still, still, one can hear the falling snow. For all is hushed, the world is sleeping, Holy Star its vigil keeping. Still, still, still, one can hear the falling snow. ?Sleep, sleep, sleep, ?tis the eve of our Savior's birth. The night is peaceful all around you; close your eyes, let sleep surround you. Sleep, sleep, sleep, ?tis the eve of our Saviour's birth. ?Dream, dream, dream, of the joyous day to come, while guardian angels without number watch you as you sweetly slumber. Dream, dream, dream, of the joyous day to come.? ©Copyright2019 Todd Marchand / ConSpiritoMusic.com