Scored for Chorus and Full Orchestra; Duration is 5 minutes
Quick Description: An exciting and fast-paced arrangement of "I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In," this piece features vivid word-painting and sparkling orchestration.
NOTE: This arrangement is for chorus and orchestra. I've also made an arrangement of this carol (unrelated to this arrangement) for orchestra alone: "I Saw Three Ships Come Fiddling In."
Below are the details regarding this piece.
If you are considering performing this work: Please contact me for purchase and rental information, to obtain a perusal score, or to receive a demo CD of my Holiday Pops music.
Duration & Difficulty Level
Featured Carol
Description
Quotes & Reviews
Instrumentation
Duration & Difficulty Level DURATION: ca. 5 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
"I Saw Three Ships"
(Words & Melody: Traditional English)
(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.)
I've been entranced by this simple carol for as long as I can remember, and I've arranged it more different ways than any other holiday piece. This arrangement features colorful and evocative orchestration throughout, but a favorite part of mine is the treatment of the 6th verse: "And all the bells on earth shall ring" — the effect of the sopranos and altos doubling the chimes and the glockenspiel is truly exciting!
A delightful surprise occurs midway through the carol, when the chorus is interrupted by an extended orchestral interlude that has fun making many playful variations on the simple melody before allowing the chorus to return. Although fanciful and lighthearted throughout, the piece ends with a majestic coda. This exuberant piece has proven to be a crowd-pleaser every time it has been performed!
Note: The highly dramatic opening of "I Saw Three Ships" makes it particularly well-suited as the first piece on a program (or as the opening of the second half of a program), but it would also work well in other segments of the concert.
Joe Harnell, Hollywood composer and arranger:
"Peter, your 'Fantasia on Two Christmas Carols' [which contains "I Saw Three Ships"] is brilliant - fast and fun throughout. 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
Richard P. Hoffman, choral conductor:
"It was my happy privilege to work with Peter Bloesch in 1997 on the première of his delightful work, 'Fantasia on Two Christmas Carols' [which contains "I Saw Three Ships"]. At the time, I served as Music Director for the Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale (which was the chorus-of-choice for the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra) and we were invited to sing Bloesch's new work. How refreshing and brilliant this piece turned out to be!
"Not content merely to write splendid choral music, Bloesch showed a mastery at orchestration, and the combined effect was dazzling. My choir was particularly impressed with Bloesch's choral writing and his thoughtful use of the voice. This work, and the several holiday pieces which have followed in subsequent years, are destined to be found in the repertoire of fine orchestras and choruses everywhere."
— Richard P. Hoffman
Professor of Music Education and Choral Music, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and former Director, Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale
The Cedar Rapids Gazette:
"The Concert Chorale's performance of 'Fantasia on Two Christmas Carols' [which contains "I Saw Three Ships"] arranged by Iowan Peter Bloesch, was one of the highlights of the evening."
— The Cedar Rapids Gazette, excerpt from review by George C. Ford, reprinted with permission. © The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Click here for more quotes and reviews of my Holiday Pops music.
2 Flutes, 1 Piccolo, 2 Oboes, 1 English Horn, 3 Clarinets in Bb and A (3rd doubles on Bass Clarinet), 2 Bassoons, 1 Contrabassoon, 4 Horns, 3 Trumpets in Bb, 3 Trombones (2 tenors and 1 bass), 1 Tuba
4 Percussionists: 1 timpanist (4 timps) ; 3 percussionists on the following instruments: Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Chimes, Vibraphone, Piatti, Suspended Cymbals, Sizzle Cymbal (suspended), Snare Drum, Triangle, Tambourine, Mark Tree, Finger Cymbal
1 Harp
1 Electronic Keyboard, with the following sounds: acoustic piano, celeste
Strings
SATB Chorus
