Christmas Overture

By: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Christmas Overture, written in 1911, is a heralding conglomerate of multiple Christmas tunes. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (b. 1875–d. 1912) was a British composer and conductor. In 1925, Sydney Baynes (b. 1879–d. 1983) arranged Coleridge-Taylor’s music due to his tragically early death and created the overture known today. The music is said to be derived from Coleridge-Taylor’s The Forest of Wild Thyme, Op. 74. That certain piece was written to accompany a charming fairy tale drama written for a children’s audience; however, it was never performed. The piece features easily recognizable Christmas carols such as God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen, Good King Wenceslas, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. The compositional techniques of this piece do each carol justice, offering the carol its well-deserved time. However, it also beautifully transitions between each carol, cleverly connecting each one. The piece fulfills its festive purpose and offers the listener a wide array of orchestral variety and seasonal color.

Information from British Classical Music: The Land of Lost Content and The Chelsea Symphony Program Notes

December_2022_Combined_Program_Notes.pdf

https://landofllostcontent.blogspot.com/2009/12/samuel-coleridge-taylor-christmas.html

The Polar Express Suite

By: Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard

Concert Suite Arranger: Jerry Brubaker

In 2004, the hit movie The Polar Express made its way to the screens of family audiences, capturing the most important aspects of Christmas for children and adults alike. Based on Chris Van Allsburg’s children’s book, the movie focuses on the virtues of love, belief, and joy. Along with the sentimental plot and lovable story, the movie’s music is well-loved and recognizable to the ears of many listeners. Using music from the movie, written by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, Jerry Brubaker arranged a medley featuring the most popular songs from the movie. These songs include: Believe, Hot Chocolate, When Christmas Comes to Town, Spirit of the Season, and the main title piece, The Polar Express. The piece transports the listener into the beloved, magical world of the movie, touching the hearts and ears of the audience. While the Concert Suite is a fabulous piece of music, it is also noteworthy to mention that the piece Believe was nominated for Best Original Song during the 77th Academy Awards and was a Grammy winner in 2006.

Information from Wind Repertory Project

https://www.windrep.org/Concert_Suite_from_%22The_Polar_Express%22

The Bells of Christmas

By: Bob Krogstad

Bob W. Krogstad (b. 1950–d. 2015) was a Norwegian-American composer, arranger, and conductor. Following the theme of medleys and arrangements, his The Bells of Christmas is another joyous joining of beloved Christmas carols such as: Carol of the Bells, Ding Dong Merrily on High, Jingle Bells, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, and Silver Bells. The piece is a festive but imaginative composition that uses innovative orchestration to deliver an iconic and original sound to the audience. This includes the use of light and airy percussion and woodwind instruments to create a sparkling effect that is present throughout the piece. Krogstad also cleverly weaves in and out of each carol, featuring string- and brass-heavy interludes that show off the virtuoso playing of the orchestra, before settling into the next carol. With the use of a harp and celesta, Krogstad creates a shimmering characteristic throughout the piece, representing what one might think of tinsel on a tree or frost-covered window panes.

Information from Orchestra Toronto Program Notes

https://www.orchestratoronto.ca/programme-notes/timeless-traditions

Lux Aurumque

By: Eric Whitacre

Eric Whitacre (b. 1970) is an extremely popular composer and conductor, specializing in choral music. Having won a Grammy and received nominations, Whitacre has made himself a well-known figure in the choral and instrumental world alike. Lux Aurumque began as an a cappella choral piece, written in 2000. Later on, Whitacre was commissioned to adapt the piece for symphonic wind bands. He took the piece, rewriting the climax and including the well-known “Bliss” theme from his opera Paradise Lost. Known for his poignant chordal structures and harmonically complex writing decisions, Whitacre uses triads to create a blanket of harmonic color that allows the instrumental world access to that of choral timbre and sound quality. The translation of this piece is as follows:

Light,

warm, and heavy as pure gold,

and the angels sing softly

to the newborn baby.

While this particular arrangement is devoid of lyrics, the importance of them still stands. The audience is invited to think of this translation as they listen to the golden characteristics of Whitacre’s Lux Aurumque.

Information from Wind Repertory Project

https://www.windrep.org/Lux_Aurumque

Sleigh Ride

By: Leroy Anderson

In 1948, Leroy Anderson finished composing the holiday classic Sleigh Ride. This piece has become a standard in the lives of band students, performers, movie watchers, and holiday enjoyers since, offering the listener a cheerful and catchy tune to remember. It has been covered by multiple different artists, including The Carpenters and even The Muppets! Leroy Anderson (b. 1908–d. 1975) was an American composer who specialized in the compositions of light orchestral music. His music was introduced and premiered by the Boston Pops Orchestra and their conductor Arthur Fiedler. Anderson initially scored Sleigh Ride for full orchestra, leaving little room for lyrics; however, lyrics by Mitchell Parish were added in 1950. The suggestion of lyrics was due to the publishing company of Mills Music. They believed it would make the piece more popular, eventually leading the vocal version to become more popular than the instrumental. Anderson also notes that he wrote this piece in a heat wave after moving to Woodbury, Connecticut! How ironic that a beloved holiday piece was thought up during a sweltering summer.

Information from Wind Repertory Project and Leroy Anderson: American Composer of Light Concert Music

https://www.windrep.org/Sleigh_Ride

http://www.leroyanderson.com/sleigh-ride.php

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

By: Albert Hague and Eugene Poddany

Arranged by: Larry Clark

Published in 1957, Dr. Seuss (b. 1904–d. 1991) introduced the world to his new book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This book is a childhood favorite, teaching the lessons and importance of Christmas. It features the nasty, mean, and green Grinch, who was treated rather unfairly. He despises Christmas and devises a plan to steal it from the Christmas-loving Whos of Whoville. However, in his planning and execution, he meets Cindy-Lou Who. She changes his perspective, and the Grinch learns that Christmas is more than presents, fun lights, and great food. Christmas is about family, quality time together, and valuing what you already have in front of you. The story is heartwarming and hilarious, becoming famous for its book, television special, and later its motion picture. Starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch, the movie was released in 2000. This piece is a medley of Welcome Christmas and You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, featuring the hit songs that pop culture associates with the delightfully cynical Mr. Grinch.

Information from Wind Repertory Project

https://www.windrep.org/How_the_Grinch_Stole_Christmas

In the Bleak Midwinter

By: Gustav Holst

Arranged by: Robert W. Smith

Gustav Holst (b. 1874–d. 1934) was an English composer, arranger, and mentor. In 1906, he set Christina Rossetti’s “In the Bleak Midwinter” to music. He composed the melody for The English Hymnal, naming the melody “Cranham.” The traditional hymn is the second movement of the Holst Winter Suite and was also the work that inspired the piece being played before you today. Ms. Alta Sue Hawkins suggested this piece as a possible three-movement symphonic band setting to Robert W. Smith; however, she passed away before she could finish it. Smith decided to rearrange the piece and finish it in honor of Ms. Hawkins. Later, he married into the Hawkins family, creating a musical legacy that endures to this day. Holst’s melody is spectral and unearthly, and, intricately woven throughout the Smith arrangement, it leads to a gorgeous climax. It is nostalgic and speaks to the intrapersonal experiences of the holidays.

Information from Wind Repertory Project

https://www.windrep.org/In_the_Bleak_Midwinter_(arr_Smith)

The Most Wonderful Christmas

Arranged by: Robert Sheldon

Arranged by American composer Robert Sheldon (b. 1954) and published in 2006, The Most Wonderful Christmas is a popular arrangement of five Christmas songs. These songs include: Winter Wonderland, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. It features a variation of Joy to the World in the introduction, setting the holiday mood for this fantastic piece from the start. The piece is highly influenced by jazz and is set in a palatable listening style for audiences. It was written for full orchestra and includes many solo opportunities, swing sections, and highly virtuosic and dramatic musical lines that lead to a fantastically festive final cadence.

Information from BandDirector.com

https://banddirector.com/music-publishing/a-most-wonderful-christmas-2/

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

By: Bill Holcombe

“Bill” Holcombe (b. 1924–d. 2010) was an American composer, arranger, and flutist. He composed a musical setting of Clement Clarke Moore’s poem, creating a wonderfully entertaining piece that playfully tells the story while also complementing the poem as it follows the reading of a narrator. Moore’s poem was originally published in 1823 under the name of “Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas.” The musical line supports the storytelling with a lighthearted sound, providing a change in timbre and texture that engages the audience. It is a great opportunity for communities to engage with one another. The narrator could be a public figure or a group of children. The opportunities are endless when it comes to this beloved Christmas poem turned musical.

Information from Wind Repertory Project

https://www.windrep.org/Twas_the_Night_Before_Christmas

A Mad Russian’s Christmas

By: Paul O’Neill, Robert Kinkel, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Arranged by: Bob Phillips and George Megaw

Released in 1996 on the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” album, A Mad Russian’s Christmas is an energetic arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Trepak from The Nutcracker, a ballet premiered in 1892. Tchaikovsky was a Russian Romantic composer. He holds a long legacy of influence over the Western art canon due to his musical challenging of Russian national music. The Nutcracker was his third and final ballet, containing well-known pieces such as Waltz of the Flowers and The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov originally choreographed the ballet. Its first production was far from successful; however, it has become a cherished holiday tradition upheld by many. The Trepak is one of the several ethnic dances found in the ballet. It features the Ukrainian dance, the Tropak or Tripak. This particular arrangement is intended to pack a holiday punch! It features an infusion of modern rock and classical orchestration, making it a great ending or beginning of a concert.

Information from Wind Repertory Project

https://www.windrep.org/Mad_Russian%27s_Christmas,_A