Review

Traditional
Traditional English Christmas Carols: Holly and the Ivy/What Child Is This?

Arranged by Jeremy Niles Kempton

Four trombones

Vancouver, BC, , Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 1999 / 2012
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

Jeremy Kempton has combined two traditional English carols to create a solid arrangement that will please just about everyone during the holiday season. The quartet opens with the simple unaccompanied statement of The Holly and the Ivy in first trombone followed by more verses with increasing textures and variations. The work then transitions to a sonorous and rich scoring of What Child Is This before returning once again to the opening tune.

 

This work is quite approachable with its well-known tunes and wonderful countermelodies, all within a manageable melodic range. Trombone 1 and 2 only play as high as a1 and bass trombone only descends to D. Trombone 1 carries the majority of the melodic responsibility but the other parts have plenty of interesting writing to go along with it. Check it out if your quartet is looking for new holiday music.