Scored for Chorus and Full Orchestra; Duration is 4 minutes
Below are the details regarding this piece.
If you are considering performing this work: Please contact me for purchase information, to obtain a perusal score, or to receive a demo CD of my Holiday Pops music.
Duration & Difficulty Level
Featured Carol
Quotes & Reviews
Instrumentation
Duration & Difficulty Level DURATION: ca. 4 minutes
DIFFICULTY LEVEL FOR CHORUS: Moderately Difficult — recommended for professional choirs or high-quality community choirs
DIFFICULTY LEVEL FOR ORCHESTRA: Difficult — recommended only for professional symphony or pops orchestras
Carol Featured in the Arrangement
"Away in a Manger" (Kirkpatrick version)
(Words: Anon., 1885 ; stanza 3, 1892 ; Melody: William J. Kirkpatrick, 1895)
(Note: This is an original work based on a carol whose words and melody are in the public domain. This work is copyright by Peter Bloesch, and all rights are reserved, including the right to perform, record, or broadcast the piece.)
Quotes and Reviews of "Away in a Manger"
Joe Harnell, Hollywood composer and arranger:
"How could I be anything but totally blown away by the grandeur and power of your 'Garland of Carols'? [This medley contains "Away in a Manger."] A 'tour de force' if I ever heard one! I hope that orchestras around the country will take note of these arrangements, because they're terrific!"
— Joe HarnellFilm Composer and Lecturer; Arranger for many celebrated singers, including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Beverly Sills
Dr. Randal A. McChesney, choral conductor:
"Peter Bloesch displays vitality and creativity in his holiday pops arrangements, which delight both musician and audience significantly. Specifically, Peter finds creative and fresh ways to match the music to the text, which is unfortunately quite a rare thing to be found within the more 'established' holiday pops repertoire.
"His penchant for the unexpected in works such as the choral/orchestral 'O Holy Night' and 'A Garland of Carols' [which contains "Away in a Manger"] startles audiences into rapt attention with their texture and beauty. Performances of these works with the Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale and Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra earned warm and enthusiastic audience reception.
"Having conducted a number of Peter's works, I can attest to the fact that his choral writing is consistently outstanding and a delight to sing. Accessible and artistic, the work of Peter Bloesch deserves attention and frequent performance."
— Dr. Randal A. McChesneyExecutive Director, Richards Institute of Education and Research; Past President, Choristers Guild Board of Directors; former Director, Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale
The Cedar Rapids Gazette:
"The Holiday Pops concert was lovely, as always. And therein lies the problem. This sure-fire audience favorite draws huge crowds to the Paramount Theatre year after year to hear the Cedar Rapids Symphony play the songs of the season... But it's always the same songs, the same arrangements, the same sing-along, the same recipe for success... Now give us something we don't expect!
"For one brief shining moment, Peter Bloesch did just that, and it was the highlight of the evening! In 'A Garland of Carols' [which contains "Away in a Manger"] this young Iowa City composer took five familiar carols, strung them together, then twisted them brilliantly into a gleaming new work...
"The Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale handled the task with grace... Bloesch's orchestral parts were equally thrilling, with unusual harmonies rocking 'Away In A Manger,' before gently laying that segment to rest, then blasting through 'O Come, All Ye Faithful' with chimes and brass blaring."
— The Cedar Rapids Gazette, excerpt from review by Diana Nollen, reprinted with permission. © The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Click here for more quotes and reviews of my Holiday Pops music.
Instrumentation for "Away in a Manger"
3 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 1 English Horn, 2 Clarinets in Bb, 1 Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons, 1 Contrabassoon, 4 Horns, 3 Trombones (2 tenors and 1 bass), 1 Tuba
4 Percussionists: 1 timpanist (2 timps) ; 3 percussionists on the following instruments: Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Suspended Cymbal, Triangle, Mark Tree
1 Harp
1 Electronic Keyboard, with the following sounds: acoustic piano, celeste
Strings
SATB Chorus
