Bring
Me Joy!
|
words
& music: Oliver Barton
|
|
Bring
Me Joy is a Christmas piece that is a bit of a cross between a spiritual
and Malcolm Sargent’s arrangement of the Cowboy Carol, though
it doesn’t have any glissandi! Some people have been a bit
taken aback by the words:
The
angels cried aloud “It’s a boy!”
but after all, it was.
| Forces:
|
Unaccompanied
SATB, but there are a couple of moments when the Sopranos and
Altos split. |
| Duration: |
about
3'40" |
| Length:
|
8
pages |
Free
download of the entire piece: PDF,
Finale, MIDI
|
Carol
of the Wandering Boy
|
words:Cath
Carmichael music:
Oliver Barton |
This is an attempt to write something reminiscent of the meditative
works of Pärt and John Tavener, but it doesn’t sound anything
like them. It was originally intended to be unaccompanied, but it
proved quite taxing for the singers, who need to maintain long legato
lines without remission, building to a climax and reducing down to
very little while maintaining complete control. So I added an independent
organ part that provides support at crucial moments but also wanders
off on its own way at times, giving the choir a rest. It could be
performed with or without the organ part.
| Forces:
|
Unaccompanied
SATB or SATB plus organ. There a certain amount of splitting,
but not in the Tenor line. |
| Duration: |
about
3'20" unaccompanied, 4'0" with organ |
| Length:
|
Chorus
part: 4 pages, Organ score: 8 pages |
Download
a sample: MIDI Free
download of entire piece: Finale,
PDF
|
Four
AM
|
words
& music: Oliver Barton |
A companion piece to Maud’s Dream. This is set at 4:00 am on
Christmas morning, at which time the twins discover the stockings
full of presents at the foot of their beds, and what ensues, ending
with a Moral for all parents. Pretty anarchic at times.
| Forces:
|
Unaccompanied
SATB—a bit of easy splitting for S and A |
| Duration: |
about
3'35" |
| Length:
|
8
pages |
Free
download of the entire piece: PDF,
Finale
|
Maud’s
Dream
|
words
& music: Oliver Barton |
Auntie Maud comes to stay at Christmas to the dismay of the family.
This piece tells us of her dream when she was a little girl. The grown-ups
all laughed at her and that is why she is the curmudgeonly bitter
woman she is today.
Recorded
on the CD “Wassail Rhapsody”, DRD0198, from sales@dunelm-records.co.uk
| Forces:
|
SATB,
piano |
| Duration: |
4'30" |
| Length:
|
Chorus
part: 11 pages, Piano score: 12 pages |
Download
a sample:MIDI Free
download of entire piece: Finale,
PDF (chorus only), PDF
(full)
|
A
New Christmas Alphabet
|
words
& music: Oliver Barton |
You know The Christmas Alphabet (‘“C”
is for the candy trimmed around the Christmas tree’, etc.),
full of cloying sentiment. This version tells it as it is, featuring
Auntie Maud (see Maud’s Dream above), the cat, overindulgence
and so on, and finishing: ‘“S”
is feeling sick from eating on and on and on— And sick at heart
as well because the Christmas meaning’s gone.’ But
the tune, which is newly composed even if it has similarities, is
jolly.
| Forces:
|
SATB,
piano |
| Duration: |
2'20" |
| Length:
|
5
pages |
Free
download of the entire piece:
Full score: PDF,
MIDI
Chorus part: PDF
Both: Finale
|
Open
the door to Christmas
|
words:
C & OB music:
Oliver Barton |
Repetitive and frantic builds flank a reflective section with a mezzo
or baritone solo. The general sentiment is "open the door to
your brother/sister outside, alone in the cold - how can you be warm
with family and friends while he or she's lonely, cold and starving?"
The solo is the thoughts of the visitor coming through the open door
and experiencing the warmth of the family.
| Forces:
|
Unaccompanied
SATB divisi, mezzo or baritone solo |
| Duration: |
about
4' |
| Length:
|
12
pages |
Free
download of the entire piece: PDF,
Finale, MIDI
|
A
Wassail To Keep Out the Cold
|
words:
Trad. music:
Oliver Barton |
A continuous medley of traditional English and Irish tunes and words
that concentrates on eating and drinking, such prominent activities
at Christmas!
| |
| 1 |
All
hayle to the dayes
‘A pleasant Countrey new Ditty: Merrily shewing how
To drive the cold Winter away’ from a broadside in
the Pepysian collection, early 17th century, to the tune
of “When Phoebus did rest,”. first published in
The Dancing Master, 1650. |
| 2 |
The
Glory of the West
A country dance first published in The Dancing Master in
1650, with the words “Shall I, mother, shall I?”
written under it. Whether he or she did, we’ll never
know. |
| 3 |
King
Herod and the Cock
The words were collected by Cecil Sharp from Mrs. Plumb
of Armscote, Worcestershire. The melody is “The Star
of County Down.” The story can be traced back to 1200. |
| 4 |
The
Old Gray Cat
A good old English reel. |
| 5 |
Bring
us in good ale/The Salutation Carol
Copied down in the commonplace book of William Hill (grocer
and Mayor of London) in 1504. “Bring us in good ale”
is a boozy parody of the Salutation (or Annunciation) carol.
Such parodies were common; church and tavern often shared
tunes. Hill’s book is an amazing collection of items,
from ‘a good medycyne for a cutt,’ which begins
‘Take a pynte of good ale,’ to notes on the breaking
in of horses. |
| 6 |
The
first nowell (for the audience to join in!)
Tune and words from William Sandys’ West Country collection
“Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern,” 1833. Harmonization
of verses 2 and 3 is by Sir John Stainer (1871). |
|
| Forces:
|
SATB,
piano or ensemble |
| Duration: |
about
12'30" |
| Length:
|
Score:
30 pages |
Free
download of the full score: PDF,
Finale, MIDI
If you
would like a chorus part and parts for the instruments, please ask
me.
|
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