Sounds like: Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Vince Guaraldi, Liz Story's "The Gift", George Winston's "December", early Windham Hill solo piano artists, and "A Winter's Solstice" compilations.


Transcribed by: David Shenton ( https://www.shentonmusic.com/ ) verbatim to the sound recording

Contents:
1. Bring A Torch (Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella)
2. Children Go Where I Send Thee / The Holly & The Ivy
3. Star Of Wonder (We Three Kings of Orient Are)
4. Silent (Silent Night, Holy Night)
5. Midnight (It Came Upon the Midnight Clear)
6. What Child Is This?
7. Greensleeves (homage to Liz Story)
8. Three Ships (I Saw Three Ships, Come Sailing In)
9. The Coventry Carol (Lully, Lulla, Lullay)
10. Sing We Now Of Christmas (No�l Nouvelet)
11. Carol Of The Bells

Album & Songbook review by: Kathy Parsons (MainlyPiano.com):

I have discovered a real wealth of great solo piano Christmas CDs this year! Isadar?s In Search For the Meaning of Christmas definitely falls into this category! Thoughtful, introspective, and a bit moody, Isadar?s arrangements are true to the carols (with some small melody changes in ?Bring a Torch? and ?Carol of the Bells? that bother me just a little) and still seem very personal. ?Bring a Torch?, ?The Holly and the Ivy?, and ?I Saw Three Ships? are given a lighthearted, joyful treatment. ?Star of Wonder (We Three Kings)?, ?What Child Is This??, ?The Coventry Carol?, and ?Sing We Now of Christmas? are all minor, somber, reverent pieces, and all four are given loving arrangements that keep the dark, mysterious nature of the songs and reflect Isadar?s own sensibilities. ?Carol of the Bells? and Isadar's take on Liz Story?s arrangement of ?Greensleeves? are energetic without losing all abandon. ?Silent Night? and ?It Came Upon a Midnight Clear? present us with a very cold, deep solitude - both feel like late night with moonlight reflecting off the snow. Both are moody, but very beautifully so. George Winston?s ?December? is one of my all-time favorite holiday albums, and I feel In Search For the Meaning of Christmas holds up exceptionally well next to it. This is an excellent collection of Christmas music, and I highly recommend it!

In Search For the Meaning of Christmas is the companion songbook to Isadar?s 1999 solo piano release by the same name. Meticulously transcribed note-for-note by David Shenton of New York Music Publishing, the music is faithful to the recording in every way (except for the pianist - YOU!). The scores are clear, concise, and easy to read, and also include chord indications for improvisation or the use of instruments other than or in addition to the piano. Isadar?s arrangements cover a whole range of emotions, from very dark and somber to joyful and buoyant. All of the pieces from the CD are here, including Isadar?s homage to Liz Story and her beautiful version of ?Greensleeves.? My personal favorites of the eleven songs in this book are the bright and cheerful ?Bring A Torch,? ?What Child Is This??, ?Greensleeves,? the darkly gorgeous ?The Coventry Carol,? and ?Sing We Now of Christmas.? Other titles that I really like are ?Children Go Where I Send Thee/The Holly and the Ivy,? ?Star of Wonder (We Three Kings)," ?Carol of the Bells,? and the effervescent ?Three Ships.? ?Silent? (Silent Night) and ?Midnight? (It Came Upon a Midnight Clear) are a bit too dark for my own holiday tastes, but are interesting and very personal arrangements. This book will make a great addition to your holiday sheet music collection and is available from isadar.com and amazon.com.

Isadar is an artist on both Enlightened Piano Radio & Whisperings Solo Piano Radio, the latter featuring some of today's biggest names in solo piano music, including Ludovico Einaudi, David Nevue, Brian Crain, Kevin Kern, Robin Spielberg, Michele McLaughlin, Philip Wesley and over 300 more...

Also available as sheet music in physical songbooks, digital downloads, as well as software for Yamaha Disklavier player-pianos.

For more information, visit his website at: http://www.isadar.com

Originally inspired by a spiritual, "Stand By Me" was written and recorded in 1961 by famed R&B singer-songwriter Ben E. King. The catchy, soulful tune immediately went to #1 on the R&B charts, and ended up becoming a Top Ten on the Billboard charts twice -- once for its original release, and again in 1986 when it was used as the theme song for a movie of the same name. This song has been deemed "culturally and historically significant" and it has remained one of the most beloved songs in history for decades, so you can't go wrong having this one in your gig books! This Cellobat arrangement for your two-violin and cello trio maintains the fun groove, catchy melody, and joyful feel of the original, while adding in a number of beautiful harmonic and countermelodic layers that put this chart above and beyond the rest! Rated intermediate -- there are some fun syncopated rhythms throughout, but none of the parts go above 2nd position, and this will be playable for students and easily sightreadable for professionals.

Sarah "Cellobat" Chaffee earned her bachelor's degree in cello performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and is now based in Las Vegas. She currently performs with Aerosmith in their "Deuces Are Wild" residency at The Park MGM Theater on the Las Vegas Strip. Sarah is also the principal cellist in David Perrico's Pop Strings Orchestra, a 14-piece band that performs every Friday and Saturday at Caesars Palace, and she plays regularly for Premiere Wedding Music and Bella Electric Strings. Sarah has performed and recorded with many other artists including Halsey, Disturbed, M�tley Cr�e, Celine Dion, Kygo, Ricky Martin, Sarah Brightman, Il Divo, and Lady Antebellum. She can be found at:
http://www.cellobat.com
http://www.instagram.com/cellobat
http://www.youtube.com/c/SarahCellobatChaffee

Here is a collection of 5 traditional spirituals arranged for two piano players with different "intermediate" skill levels. The PIANO 1 is the easier part (early-intermediate) and the PIANO 2 is slightly more challenging, though still only at the intermediate level.

Two formats are provided for each song:
1. four-staff, grand stave with both parts (PIANO 1 and PIANO 2) on each page
2. two-staff score for each part; PIANO 1 and PIANO 2 on separate pages

These cheerful, uplifting arrangements are a welcome addition to the piano repertoire for early-intermediate students and suitable for performances in a church setting. Each song is also available separately with accompanying preview pages and audio samples.

Song titles included in this collection:
Every Time I Feel the Spirit
I Shall Not Be Moved
I?m So Glad Jesus Lifted Me
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
When the Saints Go marching In