"A Collection of A Cappella Carols"
PLEASE NOTE: If you arrived here from the "Church Music" submenu, you are now in the "Concert Music" section of the website. These carols are suitable for both a concert and church setting.
Quick Description: A new set of a cappella carol arrangements and original carols, suitable for a concert or church setting. Scored for unaccompanied SSAATTBB chorus. If you're interested in accompanied carol arrangements, please take a look at "Sing We Noel!" — a new set of carol arrangements that can be performed individually.
Below are the details regarding this set of carols.
If you are considering performing any of these carols (see complete list below): Please contact me for purchase information, to obtain perusal scores, or to receive my programming suggestions.
INFORMATION ABOUT "A COLLECTION OF A CAPPELLA CAROLS"
OVERVIEW OF "A COLLECTION OF A CAPPELLA CAROLS"
PURPOSE OF COLLECTION
My goal has been to create a large and ongoing collection of advanced-level carol settings for unaccompanied SSAATTBB chorus that could be used in a variety of performance settings. Intended primarily for concert settings, many of these carols could also be quite successfully used in a church setting when performed by an advanced choir.
QUALITY OF CAROLS
In creating these carol arrangements and original carols, my emphasis has been on making them fresh and imaginative, yet very accessible. You certainly have many carol arrangements to choose from when planning your programs, so I'm striving for carol settings that deserve your attention and will "stand out in a crowd."
FOR MORE INFORMATION
If you're interested in performing any of these carols, please describe to me your choral group and your specific programming needs, and I'll be happy to provide you with an individualized list of carols that I think you'd enjoy.
Note: This collection of carols is in progress. For a complete list of planned carols, click here. Or, read on for more details about the collection.
I've only recently begun work on this collection, so many of the planned carols are not yet completed. However, feel free to contact me right away if any of these carols interests you, since the ones you're interested in may be completed or close to completion at the time of your request.
My goal is to have the majority of these carols available for performance some time in the next several years. However, since I intend to continue adding new carols to this set indefinitely, the collection will never truly be "finished."
One of the key features of these carol settings is their variety. This collection contains settings that vary greatly in mood, style of composition, choral texture, and national origin. Some of the carols are well-known, while others are more obscure. Some of the carol settings are arrangements of existing tunes, while others are entirely new compositions.
Further variety is secured by the inclusion of both sacred and secular carols, although it's worth pointing out that since this set of carols is primarily aimed at a concert audience, I've made sure that even the sacred carol settings are sophisticated enough for an entirely secular concert.
Almost every carol in this collection has its own unique style and mood, from the festive Baroque setting of "Ding Dong! Merrily on High" (which includes a fugue!) to the lush, neo-Romantic "There Is No Rose" - and from the polyphonic excitement of "The Boar's Head Carol" to the quiet mysticism of "Balulalow."
Another key feature of this carol collection is its versatility. Think of it as a resource of carol settings from which you can choose exactly what you need. Since each carol setting is completely free-standing and can be purchased individually at a reasonable price, you can select any number of carols and can program them in any way you like.
EXAMPLES OF HOW TO USE THESE CAROLS IN A CONCERT SETTING:
- Select one or two carols to include anywhere in your holiday program. (For example, the shorter version of "Ding Dong! Merrily on High" is the perfect way to open your holiday concert, and "Silent Night" makes an ideal conclusion.)
- Choose five to eight of the carols and gather them together in whatever order you please. This "mini-set" of carols could then become one of the major segments of your program.
- If you were so inclined, you could even make an entire holiday concert out of your selections of these carol settings.
EXAMPLES OF HOW TO USE THESE CAROLS IN A CHURCH SERVICE:
- Use one of the carol settings as an introit or as a closing response. (For example, the shorter version of "Ding Dong! Merrily on High" or "All My Heart This Night Rejoices" would make a rousing introit, and one or more verses of "Silent Night" would make an effective closing response.)
- Use one or more of the carol settings for the anthem and/or the offertory. Good choices for these parts of the service would be: "All My Heart This Night Rejoices," "The Angel Gabriel," "The First Nowell," "In the Bleak Midwinter," "Sweet Baby, Sleep," "There Is No Rose of Such Virtue," "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day," and "Unto Us a Child Is Born."
- Select ten or twelve carols from the collection and create your own Festival of Lessons and Carols. If you'd like help in creating this kind of service, please contact me for suggestions (including suggestions of Scripture readings); I'd be glad to help. (And by the way, if you're looking for a festival of lessons and accompanied carols, please consider my church service of carols called "Sing We Noel! — A Festival of Lessons and Carols.")
TYPE OF CHORUS
Most of these carol settings are written for SSAATTBB chorus, but several are for SSAATTBBB or SATB. Also, most of the settings are suitable for any size chorus, from very large all the way down to a vocal ensemble of just nine people. (The chorus occasionally divides into SSAATTBBB, with two baritone parts and one bass part, so a minimum of nine singers is required.)
These carols are intended primarily for concert settings, but many of them would also work well in a church service when performed by an advanced choir. Please consult me for programming recommendations.
The difficulty level varies somewhat, but the majority of these settings are aimed at an advanced choral group. The smaller the group performing these carols, the more advanced the group should be. Since these carols are unaccompanied and each vocal part is very independent (and therefore exposed), this not only makes the music more interesting to sing but also raises the difficulty level somewhat.
PIANO REDUCTIONS
Each carol includes a piano reduction for rehearsal purposes. These piano reductions are not intended for use in performance.
HOW TO OBTAIN THESE CAROL SETTINGS
Each carol in this collection is for sale individually at a reasonable price. Please contact me for a price quote or with any other questions you may have.
LIST OF CAROLS INCLUDED IN THE SET
NOTE: In the future, technical details for each carol will be included in the list below, but for now, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about a particular carol. Most of these carol settings are arrangements, but those with an asterisk (*) are original compositions.
CURRENT LIST OF CAROLS, LISTED ALPHABETICALLY:
A B C-D E-F G-H I J-L M-N O P-R S T U-Z
A"A la Nana Nanita" (traditional Spanish carol)
"All Bells in Paradise" *
"All My Heart This Night Rejoices"
"All This Night, Shrill Chanticleer" (see "Chanticleer Carol")
"The Angel Gabriel"
"Away in a Manger" (Kirkpatrick version)
/
"The Boar's Head Carol"
/
"Deck the Halls"
"Ding Dong! Merrily on High" (longer version)
"Ding Dong! Merrily on High" (shorter version - appropriate for the opening of a concert or church service)
/
/
G - H"The Gloucestershire Wassail"
"Good King Wenceslas"
"Here We Come A-Wassailing"
"The Holly and the Ivy"
/
"I Saw Three Ships"
"I Sing of a Maiden" *
"Il Est Né" (traditional French carol)
"In Ducli Jubilo"
"In the Bleak Midwinter"
"Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming"
"My Dancing Day" (see "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day")
"Noël Nouvelet"
"O Little One Sweet"
"O Little Town of Bethlehem"
"O My Dear Heart" (see "Balulalow")
"Out of Your Sleep, Arise and Wake!" *
"Over Yonder's a Park" (see "All Bells in Paradise")
"Personent Hodie" (traditional Latin carol)
"Psallite" *
"Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow" (African-American spiritual)
"Sussex Carol"
"Sweet Baby, Sleep" *
"This Endriss Night"
"Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day"
"The Twelve Days of Christmas"
"Wassail!" (see "The Gloucestershire Wassail")
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
"Welcome Yule!" *
"What Child Is This"
"Willie, Take Your Little Drum"
