Greetings Listers!

Last week I wrote:


> We are looking for your recommendations for sacred and secular
Christmas arrangements for Treble
> Choir and SATB Choir combined. The treble parts can be Unison, SA or
SSA. We've done some
> searches, but nothing is better than the recommendations from members
of this list!
>
Here is a compilation of the responses I feel I can share. I received
others from composers/arrangers offering to send copies of their
unpublished works. I don't feel as though I can share that information
without their permission.

As I said in the opening paragraph - we did the searches and got the
titles, but it's your recommendations that help us choose. Many thanks
to those who responded. I hope this compilation is some help to others.

Beth Pineo
jb.pineo(a)ns.sympatico.ca
Bridgetown, Nova Scotia

***
try the 3rd movement of Z. Randall Stroope's "Hodie". It's really nice
for
both choirs with brass and organ & percussion.
***
The last time I had to do this I found very little of interest, so I
took
some pieces that had some unison or treble sections and assigned those
to
the treble chorus. We did Rutter's Wildwood Carol, and the kids did the

opening solo and stuff like that, my SATB group did the middle SATB
sections, and the kids joined again on the tune at the end, or something

like that. It worked great. If you have some pieces you want to do
anyway
and they have secions without the men, that might be a way to go.
***
I have excerpted the Sanctus from the Bernstein Mass for such a purpose.

***
May I recommend my arrangement of Twas in the Moon of
Wintertime? available from Canadian Computer Printing; 2-334 Wilson
Street
West, Ancaster Ontario Canada, L9G 1N5; tel 905-648-5607. They also
have
a web site that can be accessed through my home page (see below), and
then
click on publications. This was performed first at the RCCO National
Convention in 1999, and recorded, and is quite popular. It is for two
choirs SATB, or for children's choir, S or SA plus aduls choir SATB
backup
harmony.
William Renwick
***
Here's an oldie but beautiful:

Beautiful Yuletide by F. Melius Christiansen (Augsburg-may be out of
print)
***
I have a piece, *Images of Christmas* for SA/SATB & organ and/or harp
pub.
Thomas House & dist. Presser .

Hope this helps,
Robert Ross, Artistic Director
Voces Novae et Antiquae
Philadelphia, PA
VocNovEtAn(a)aol.com
***
Have you considered the "Exsultate justi" by John Williams from the
Spielberg film "Empire of the Sun"?

***
Go through the Willcocks/Rutter carol arr, many fo which are for a "dual

choir", often enough with trebles as one group. After looking at
perhaps a
dozen of these, you will see tht you can make this kind of arr yourself
--
so go to it!
Get in touch with Musica Russica (Dr. Vladimir Morosan) in
Connecticut --
his exhaustive catalog contains pieces which are for just such "dual
choir."
Don't recall if for Xmas or not, but worth looking at for sure.

---

Here is the compilation I received from a number of list members on pieces
for adults/children for Christmas
Thanks to all who responded!

Linda Spevacek:
As part of my 2003 releases I wrote A Garland of Carols...3:30. It has
optional brass, handbells and uses 13 different carols. Easy to combine
children on melody or combine them with their 2 part version as it is
available in both SATB and 2 part.

In 2002 I wrote Canticle of Carols, also for optional brass and handbells.
This has 3 carols and is a bit shorter...maybe too short. A wonderful
closer. I used it as a filler piece when I conducted at Carnegie. I used
organ, brass and bells for that concert. Maybe this is a piece you can use
another time...maybe as an opener.

Recordings, PDF and descriptions may be found on my website below. Also if
you would like comp copies and free cd's, don't hesitate to ask. Let me
know if I can be of any further help.

Yours in song and spirit....

Linda Spevacek
lspevacek(a)cox.net
www.lindaspevacek.com
***New Video: The Choral Director as Voice Teacher***
( http://www.softwaredynamix.com/music/videos.shtml)


Cheryl Dupont

Try Bob Chilcott's piece " For Him All Stars Have Shone". It's absolutely
gorgeous and not too hard. SATB/SA. Also, Lullaby for the Christ Child by
Ruth Watson Henderson is very nice. I like the Chilcott piece better,
though.

Cheryl Dupont, Artistic Director
New Orleans Children's Chorus

Eloise Porter:
Try "Night of Silence"--but I can't find the composer's name or publisher
right now. It is fairly recent--a gorgeous SATB partner song for Silent
Night--Silent Night sung by the children. Might be adapted to include
other parts of your group. Piano (or organ) accomp.

Eloise Porter
Encore Children's Chorus
voice10(a)earthlink.net

Joseph Stevens:
I have a Hodie for SATB choir, bells, flute, piano, and organ.

You could assign certain parts to the kids if you wanted to do so.

Check it out at
www.stephensmusic.com

Ann Andersen:

Dr. Symons:

Perhaps you would consider my arrangement of the Appallachian folkhymn "Star
of the East". It's rather spectacular and makes a good ending piece, and is
about the length you're looking for. It is unpublished; forces include SATB
adult choir, children's unison part, organ, percussion and three trumpets
(whose part is not difficult, so they could be teens/students). The
computer score I have for the piece is rather long, since I could not fit
more than one full score per page; if you can deal with that, it's really a
very nice piece to use. And I wouldn't mind at all if you would like to
cut/paste and thereby devise your own score. Royalties are very reasonable;
and since the children's part is unison, it can be taught by rote so that
you can save money by not having to make a copy for each child. I will send
you a contract ($10) and copyright authorization stickers to attach to each
copy you make ($.50/per).

If you are interested in this piece, please let me know and I will send you
a sample copy via e-mail attachment.

Ann Kapp Andersen
Estinnes-au-Val, Belgium

Bob Boyd:

Climb to the Top of the Highest Mountain by Carolyn Jennings is great
Bob Boyd

Robbie Doelger:
Winter Fantasy by Jill Gallina (I think...) It's Jingle Bells with a
partner song. Super easy I've done it with young girl choirs and
freshman treble choirs. Both age groups had fun singing it.

Robbie Doelger
Choir Director
Bay Port High School

Courtney Birch
What about William Boyce's "Alleluia" round? There is an arrangement by
Richard Proulx which incorporates organ, flute, 2 horns or trombones and
string bass. There is also a version of the tune (unaccompanied) in ROUNDS
FOR EVERYONE FROM EVERYWHERE (edited by Salli Terri, published by Lawson
Gould Music Publ). I am using it as a combined processional for my middle
school and upper school choruses. One of my colleagues wrote handbell parts
based on Proulx's keyboard part, so we'll have singers, handbells and
piano/organ. It's challenging for the younger kids (pretty rangy and tricky
rhythmically), but the adults and the older kids would find it relatively
easy.

Courtney Birch
The Nightingale-Bamford School
New York, NY

Jack Horner
We've used "Night of Silence" arr. by John Ferguson and our folks love it.
It calls for piano, organ, and optional instruments. You could easily
transcribe the organ part for bells if you wished.

The piece is by Dan Kantor and features a lovely melody sung over "Silent
Night". The audience participation adds to the magic - many warm fuzzies!
Published by GIA # G-4466

Jack Horner
First UMC
Montgomery, AL

Steve Wilson:
How about John Rutter's "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".....it picks up
speed at the end.

Steve Wilson
Metro East Community Chorale
Belleville, Illinois

Paul Ayres:
I have a few Christmas arrangements - SATB unacc (children could usefully
play a part too...)

There's "The 12 months of the year" (same structure as 12 Days of Christmas,
ie you add one each time - fun & fast)

also "God rest you merry gentlemen" in a pseudo-Cossack style (ie it gets
progressively faster and higher).

Let me know if you'd like sample scores as Finale files.

Cheers
Paul Ayres
UK

Helen Intintoli
How about "Hope for Resolution" --it starts with Of the Fathers Love
Begotten ---voices it in 3 part canon--then combines it with an African
freedom song--4 part--very nice harmony, easy to learn. It is written with
childrens choir in mind. You can add instruments (percussion-etc) and
seems to be a good finale piece. Published by Earthsongs. It is written
to be very flexible and can use many or few "forces". I am teaching it to
my 35 member choir, planning to divide the choir when both songs are
combined. I found it at a reading session. It came very highly
recommended. We don't know it well enough yet to get the full effect, but
it sounds promising.
Helen


--
Dr. Craig Scott Symons
Director of Music
First United Methodist Church
Royal Oak, MI
email: csymons(a)comcast.net