Review

Traditional
The Twelve Days of Christmas:

Arranged by James Bates

3 tenor, 1 bass trombone

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2020
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

First published in England in 1780, the Twelve Days of Christmas has become one of the most beloved Christmas carols of all time. Because most of the humor of this song originates from the text, many instrumental arrangements can become monotonous and overly repetitive. However, James Bates manages to avoid this tendency in his trombone quartet arrangement by bringing some of the light-hearted qualities of this carol to its orchestration.

The arrangement begins with a full chorale-like presentation of the theme. Each time the theme repeats, the melody is passed into different parts and registers. In some instances it is harmonized as a duet, others as a trio, and sometimes as just a solo voice. Several times the technique of hocket is used where fragments of the melody are scattered throughout multiple voices. All of this combined with the frequent use of meter changes and sudden dynamic contrasts yields a fun and varied presentation of this timeless classic.

The first and second trombone parts are written in tenor clef with the first part spanning up to c². The bass trombone part never plays below C. The parts are well edited with expressive markings and performance suggestions. James Bates’ arrangement of the Twelve Days of Christmas will likely prove to be widely accessible, the perfect addition to any holiday concert or recital program for many years to come.