SKU: MH.1-59913-050-5

ISBN 9781599130507.

Charles Dickens certainly would have known the three carols in A CHARLES DICKENS CHRISTMAS. They were among the best-known and best-loved carols of the Victorian Era, and were a staple of the repertoire of roving waits, or carollers, that appear in his novels. Today this music is as familiar as Santa Claus and Tiny Tim. THE FIRST NOWELL was first collected in Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern by William Sandys in 1833. It is most probably 200 years older than that. The Oxford Book of Carols contains nine verses, which makes it an ideal processional for Christmas or Epiphany (the feast commemorating the coming of the Magi). COVENTRY CAROL, or Lully, Lullay, comes from the medieval tradition of mystery and miracle plays. In 1534 the Pageant of the Shearman and Tailors Guild included a scene in which the mothers of Jewish children sang this haunting lullaby after hearing the horrifying order: Herod the king, In his raging, All young children to slay. The music is anonymous; the text believed to be by Robert Croo. ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH is probably of French origin, but the English long ago adopted it as their own. Besides the French text, Les Anges dans nos compagnes, it is known in several versions and by several titles, including Angels from the Realms of Glory, When the Crimson Sun Had Set, and Westminster Carol. It belongs to a category known as macaronic carols, which mix vernacular verses with Latin refrains - in this instance, Gloria in Excelsis Deo (Glory be to God on High). Ensemble instrumentation: 1 Piccolo, 8 Flute, 2 Oboe, 1 Bassoon 1, 1 Bassoon 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 1, 4 Bb Clarinet 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 3, 1 Eb Alto Clarinet, 3 Bb Bass Clarinet & Bb Contrabass Clarinet, 2 Eb Alto Saxophone 1, 2 Eb Alto Saxophone 2, 1 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 1 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpet 1, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 Bb Trumpet 3, 2 F Horn 1, 2 F Horn 2, 2 Trombone 1, 2 Trombone 2, 2 Trombone 3, 3 Euphonium (Bass Clef), 2 Euphonium (Treble Clef), 5 Tubas, 1 Timpani, 2 Bells & Chimes, 3 Percussion 1: small triangle, suspended cymbal, crash cymbal, snare drum, bass drum, 2 Percussion 2: large triangle, finger cymbals.

SKU: HP.1892FP

UPC: 763628418922.

Beloved French carol This Kevin McChesney setting is an uplifting arrangement reflecting the Easter text Now the Green Blade Riseth. NOEL N OUVELET- The choral setting of the beloved French Carol, NOEL N OUVELET, includes both the words to the original Christmas carol, Sing We Now of Christmas and J. M. C. Crum's words for Easter. The handbell setting uses 3-5 octaves of bells and has driving rhythmic energy provided by the use of mallets. The Orchestral Parts consist of: Flutes, Oboes, Clarinets in B-flat, Bassoons, Horns in F, Trumpets in B-flat, Tombone, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion, Tubular Bells, Handbells, Violin I & II, Viola, Violoncello & Double Bass. The Band Orchestration consists of parts for: Flutes, Oboes, Clarinet in B-flat, Bass Clarinet in B-flat, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophones, Baritone Saxophone, Bassoons, Horns in F, Trumpets in B-flat, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion, Tubular Bells & Handbells.

SKU: CF.FPS163F

ISBN 9781491163894. UPC: 680160922680.

The melody of The Friendly Beasts (“Orientis Partibus”) originated in twelfth-century France and has been attributed to Pierre de Corbeil, Bishop of Sens. The song migrated to England by the thirteenth century, where its popularity grew and in the early twentieth century the familiar English words were added. The melody has been set in both quadruple and triple meter and is presented in both meters here. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) included the carol in his English Hymnal (1906).The words in both the original Latin and modern English versions pay homage to the place of animals in the Christmas story. The carol has also been known as The Donkey Carol and The Animal Carol.This setting is intended to reflect the Medieval origins of the melody. Some freedom of tempo would be appropriate during the “chant” version of the melody (mm. 6–18). Adding poco ritardando at m. 28, at the discretion of the director, should lead to a stricter tempo in mm. 31–53, in the manner of a medieval round dance. A gentle approach to the performance is appropriate. Finger cymbals could be added to or replace all or part of the triangle part, again at the director’s discretion.