Composer: Traditional French Christmas Carol
Duration: 2:30 minutes
Price: £12
Grade: 5-8
Instrumentation: Brass Quintet
Trumpet 1 and 2 in Bb
French Horn
Trombone
Tuba

Ding Dong Merrily on High is a popular Christmas Carol with lively words, rhythm and the famous long ‘Gloria!’ This arrangement is one of my fantasy style improvisations, in a classic British quasi-classical humorous style guaranteed to make an audience giggle! It begins in the classic bouncing 2 metre, with plenty of canonic material and bell tone style playing. Suddenly the harmony begins to develop and the arrangement travels to unrelated keys through some creative pivots and modal swaps. The next development sees the theme played in 5/4, with the same fast bouncing crotchet pulse as before, but this time irregular. This then becomes a waltzing (in one) 3/4 time, with a tuba solo and some luscious underlying harmonisations which builds to a big crescendo and modulation to the last section, back in the original 2 metre with all the bells and runs to finish!

It is the perfect recital item for any Christmas concert!

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Deck the Halls (Brass Quintet)

This arrangement of Ding Dong Merrily (5 Trumpets)

Kensington Brass Performance:

Sample Scores: