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

Alice Hawthorne was quite a prolific composer in the late 1800s. However, it turns out that "she" was none other than Mr. Septimus Winner, having adopted the female name as one of his many pseudonyms. He was most popular for his ballads published under the pseudonym of Alice Hawthorne. "Whispering Hope", published in 1868, was his last successful composition and is based on Hebrews 6:19?

It has been arranged here for a Flexible Brass Trio: 2 Trumpets, Horn in F (sub for Part 2) and Euphonium BC/TC.

The Euphonium part could be played on a Trombone.

Also available as a Trio for 2 Flutes and Clarinet. (See related scores.)

Grade = 3 Duration = 1:53 mins

The MP3 was recorded with NotePerformer 3 (with Horn part included)