Christmas repertoire

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Christmas repertoire

Date: April 9, 2013

by Adrian Sammut

Views: 681

Our musical director is currently looking for a new Christmas repertoire for an SATB choir. We are after suggestions of music penned in by non-British composers since we are already pretty acquainted with the latter. Apart from traditional carols we are also considering classical pieces such as Corelli's Christmas Concerto for SATB voices.

‘The New Choral Singers’ is one of the foremost polyphonic ensembles hailing from the island of Malta … we currently number some 60 members.

I thank you all in advance for any recommendations you might be sharing.

Greetings from the heart of the Med!

Michael Callender on April 10, 2013 3:45am

Adrian. Have a look at Logos, the unusual and atmospheric SATB setting by Philip Stopford from the opening of St John's Gospel "And the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us....."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWeDQ76f_eg It is published by www.ecclesium.co.uk

Stuart Scott on April 10, 2013 4:45am

If you are looking for something with orchestra then you might consider a brand new work premiered this past December called Rejoice. It is a 20 minute work in six movements scored for full orchestra, choir, and soloists. The texts are all taken from familiar carols, but reset to music that does not reference any of the original melodies. Send me an email if you would like to hear samples from its premiere.

donald patriquin on April 10, 2013 6:30am

Good Day Adrian,

I have always been particularly drawn to the Christmas repertoire, as chorister, choir director, organist, composer and arranger, and have mounted many Christmas programs, both sacred and secular over the years (decades!). Over this period, starting at a precocious age, I composed and arranged many Christmas works, a large number of which have appeared in programs and broadcasts in Canada, the USA and Europe (especially the French repertoire); many have been formally published (Earthsongs, Berandol, Canadian International Music, Waterloo...) and the rest are published by A Tempo, which is my own 'desk-top' company. Some are original, such as "A Child's Carol", "Carol of the Field Mice" (lyrics from Wind in the Willows) and a 'gospel' carol "Come and See the Little Child", while others are arrangements of carols such as "Three Appalachian Carols", "Coventry Carol" and an "Overture to Christmas" medley. All may be seen and heard at www.donaldpatriquin.com

I trust I might have something that fits your ‘non-British’ requirements! (I am Canadian)

Regards,

Donald

Nazo Zakkak on April 10, 2013 9:17am

Hello Adrian,

You can find many Christmas carols as well as serious works on Musica Russica's website. We have pieces in Russian, English, and Ukranian. Here's a link to our Christmas music.

You can preview PDFs and listen to MP3 samples on our website.

Hope this helps,

Nazo Zakkak

www.musicarussica.com

Assistant to the President

Brian Holmes on April 10, 2013 10:42am

Dear Adrian:

I invite you to consider some of my Christmas music.

Come Christmas is a wreath of a dozen carols based on poems of Eleanor Farjeon.

SATB plus soloists, orchestration 2222/2200/harp/perc/timp/strings. 30 minutes.

I will write a reduced orchestration once someone asks for it.

Now is the Time is a cycle of settings of 16 carol texts, mostly medieval.