Review

Various
Christmas Carol Suite:

Arranged by John Jay Hilfiger

flute, alto sax, horn, trombone, or bassoon

, United States
Publisher: Wehr's Music House
Date of Publication: 2004
URL: http://www.wehrs-music-house.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Elementary Material - solo
Secondary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano

These are straightforward arrangements of five familiar carols - Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel, What Child is This? Joy to the World, Good Christian Men Rejoice, and Away in a Manger. They appear to be intended for elementary level performers; however, on trombone, a couple of these pieces require some long slide-position shifts, and they might actually be a little hard for beginners to play well. There is no reason, of course, why two or more of the appropriate instruments should not be used in turn in performance of the whole suite. Range for trombone in the first four carols is G–b-flat, extended to f1 in the final selection. The accompaniments are simple and attractive, and are suitable for organ as well as piano. Pages in the accompanist’s part are compiled in the wrong order, and some cut-and-paste will be required. Production is also marred by a half-dozen typographical errors. Parts are clearly printed, and the score includes a short biography of the arranger. No composer credit is given for ‘Away in a Manger,’ which is set to the tune ‘Cradle Song’ composed in 1895 by William J. Kirkpatrick (1838–1921) of Philadelphia. 

-Keith Davies Jones
University of Manitoba