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Bells, Brass & Bows Program Notes
Christmas Festival Overture (1950)
Leroy Anderson (1908-1975)
Premiere: Boston, June 12, 1950; Boston, MA; Boston Pops under the direction of Arthur Fiedler
A Christmas Festival is a holiday favorite that brings together Christmas songs as a concert overture. Not quite a medley, Anderson said of the work, “I selected [the Christmas tunes] that were the most popular and best known, and then I took them and tried to give instrumental treatment to them; in other words, it's not a medley, that isn't what we wanted to do here, certainly what I didn't want to do. I rather took the themes and built you might say a concert overture, around the Christmas songs.”
Anderson’s works are well-known for their upbeat treatments of popular melodies and reference to extra-musical sounds, such as ticking clocks or tapping typewriters. A Christmas Festival was written at the request of the Boston Pops. Anderson was an arranger and orchestrator for the Pops, and the group premiered this work in 1950 under the baton of Arthur Fiedler.
The tunes featured in this overture include:
Joy to the World
Deck the Halls
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Good King Wenceslas
Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
Silent Night
Jingle Bells
O Come, All Ye Faithful
A Christmas Festival is scored for two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, percussion, timpani, harp, and strings.
Huron Carol Interlude (1998)
Kelly-Marie Murphy (b. 1964)
Premiere: 1998; Montreal by the Quatuor Arthur-LeBlanc
Kelly-Marie Murphy's Huron Carol Interlude offers a contemporary and evocative reimagining of one of Canada's oldest Christmas hymns. Described by the composer as an "ethereal, icy arrangement," Murphy's interpretation creates a contemplative soundscape. The source material, "Huron Carol" (also known as "Twas in the Moon of Wintertime"), dates back to 1642, penned by Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary working among the Huron/Wendat people at Sainte-Marie. What distinguishes this hymn is its unique genesis: de Brébeuf composed the original lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat, directly addressing the cultural and spiritual context of the community he served. The melody is borrowed from "Une Jeune Pucelle" (A Young Maid), a traditional French folk song.
Huron Carol Interlude is scored for strings.
Fantasia on Greensleeves (1934)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Premiere: September 27, 1934; Queen’s Hall in London under the direction of Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams was a man of his time. Born into a well-off family with a progressive social outlook, Vaughan Williams had a populist view of music: he strove to serve his fellow man and create music that would be accessible to everyone. Vaughan Williams was one of the foremost English composers of the 20th century, continuing the Renaissance of the English music tradition that had been dormant since the days of Purcell in the 17th century and was only recently revived by Edward Elgar in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His compositional output includes symphonies, vocal works, and large choral settings. His style bears strong influence of the hymns and folk songs of his native England. Much like Béla Bartók collected the music of his native Hungary, Vaughan Williams recognized the traditional music of country people as a treasure in danger of disappearing due to social changes.
Fantasia on Greensleeves is a direct result of this fascination with English folk heritage. Vaughan Williams initially arranged the tune as the third act of his 1928 Shakespeare-inspired opera, Sir John in Love. The Fantasia itself features two distinct sixteenth-century folk tunes, structured in a clear ABA form. The first is “Greensleeves,” a melody that has also become widely associated with Christmas, serving as the musical setting for the popular carol "What Child is This?" However, the original text of "Greensleeves" deals not with the festive spirit, but with the poignant heartbreak of lost love. The contrasting middle section of the Fantasia introduces another traditional English folk tune called "Lovely Joan," a melody that similarly explores themes of misguided affection.
Fantasia on Greensleeves is scored for 2 flutes harp, and strings.
Capriol Suite (1926)
Peter Warlock(1894-1930)
Premiere: Unknown
Peter Warlock, born Philip Arnold Heseltine, was a fascinating and enigmatic figure in 20th-century British music. Warlock’s most famous composition was his Capriol Suite. This work, a set of six contrasting dances in the Renaissance style, was initially written as a piano duet. Warlock subsequently arranged it for string orchestra in 1926, and later for full orchestra in 1928. The suite's charm lies in its vibrant evocation of Renaissance dance forms, drawing its themes from a manual of Renaissance dances by the 16th-century French priest, Jehan Tabourot (1519-1595), also known by his pseudonym Thoinot Arbeau. Warlock himself conducted a performance of the Capriol Suite in 1929, the only public conducting engagement of his life.
Capriol Suite is scored for string orchestra.
Walking in the Air (1982)
Howard Blake (b. 1938)
Film Premiere: 1982 The Snowman
Howard Blake’s enchanting "Walking in the Air" is the seminal musical moment from the 1982 animated film The Snowman. Based on Raymond Briggs’s beloved 1978 children’s book of the same name, the film tells the tender story of a young boy and his magical snowman, who comes to life.
Blake's song serves as the ethereal backdrop to a pivotal scene in the film, depicting the boy and the snowman soaring through the night sky. Its evocative melody and delicate orchestration capture the wonder and quiet magic of the airborne journey. The Snowman itself has become a cherished seasonal classic, particularly in Britain and Finland, with "Walking in the Air" firmly embedded in the holiday musical consciousness.
“Walking in the Air” is scored for two flutes, English horn, two clarinets, bassoon, two horns, trumpet, percussion, timpani, harp, piano, celesta, strings, and vocals.
“Troika” from Lieutenant Kijé, Op. 60 (1933-1934)
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Premiere of orchestral suite: December 21, 1934; Paris, France
Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé Suite, Op. 60, remains one of the composer's most frequently recorded works. Composed in 1933-1934, it marked Prokofiev's first foray into film scoring and was created to accompany one of the earliest sound films produced in the Soviet Union. Prokofiev, a Russian who had left his homeland in 1918 shortly after the October Revolution, spent an extended period abroad, first in America (through 1922) and then in Western Europe, settling in Paris by October 1923. While he spent the remainder of the 1920s in Paris, by the early 1930s, a return to Russia was a significant consideration. The opportunity to write the score for a Russian film like Lieutenant Kijé provided a valuable entry point back into his native country, a move he would ultimately make in 1936.
The Lieutenant Kijé story originated as a screenplay by Yury Tynyanov for an unrealized project, which was then transformed into a novella published in 1928. Prokofiev's biographer, Harlow Robinson, aptly described the story as "a satire on the stupidity of royalty and the particularly Russian terror of displeasing one’s superior." The plot, set in Imperial Russia under the volatile Tsar Paul I, revolves around a bureaucratic blunder: a scribe's error creates a fictitious soldier, Lieutenant Kijé, on a military roster. Terrified of incurring the Tsar's wrath, the courtiers are compelled to concoct an entire life for this non-existent officer, complete with fabricated disciplinary actions, promotions, a marriage, and ultimately, a grand funeral when the Tsar finally demands to meet his "loyal servant."
The film score's success prompted Prokofiev to craft the five-movement orchestral suite at the invitation of the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. This suite effectively distills the film's essence into a vibrant concert work. The fourth movement, "Troika," evokes a spirited winter ride in a traditional Russian sled.
Lieutenant Kije is scored for two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, cornet, two trumpets, three trombones, tenor saxophone, timpani, percussion, piano, celesta, harp, and strings.
“God Bless Us Everyone” from A Christmas Carol
Alan Silvestri (b. 1950)
Film Premiere: November 3, 2009; London
Film composer Alan Silvestri was born in New York City and raised in Teaneck, NJ. After graduating high school in 1968, Silvestri attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, aspiring to be a jazz guitarist. After two years, he moved to Los Angeles. Silvestri claimed he was so broke when he moved to L.A. he couldn’t even go to the movies. In 1972, he was asked to score a low-budget action film. Despite lacking experience, he accepted the job and made his way into the film industry where he eventually caught the attention of director Robert Zemeckis. The pair first collaborated on Zemickis’ 1984 hit Romancing the Stone. The success of that film led to over 20 subsequent collaborations, including the Back to the Future film series (1985-1990), Forrest Gump (1994), and The Polar Express (2004). Silvestri has worked with numerous directors throughout his long career and has composed the scores for over 100 films. Among these are four Marvel Cinematic Universe films, including Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011 and The Avengers in 2012. Silvestri has received two Academy Award nominations, three Grammy Awards, two Emmy awards, and an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.
“God Bless Us Every One” is the final track from the 2009 animated Disney adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
“God Bless Us” is scored for two flutes, alto flute, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, piano, celesta, harp, strings, and SATB Chorus.
The Many Moods of Christmas (Suite 4)
Composer: Robert Shaw (1916-1999)
Arranger: Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981)
Premiere: 1963 LP release by RCA Victor conducted by Robert Shaw
American composer Robert Shaw and Broadway orchestrator and arranger Robert Russell Bennett first began working together in the 1950s. Shaw was most well-known for his wide-ranging influence in the chorale realm as a conductor, mentor, and composer. In addition to establishing his own chorale groups throughout his career, he worked with many orchestras, including the San Diego Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, and Atlanta Symphony. Bennett was also a composer, but his real legacy is as an arranger, having orchestrated the music for many Broadway and Hollywood musicals.
The Many Moods of Christmas is a series of Christmas medleys in four suites. The work is a pastiche, with standard Christmas carols forming the base material for the various movements. Suite 4 carol includes:
Break Forth
O Beauteous, Heav’nly Light
The First Noel
O Little Town of Bethlehem
I saw Three Ships
Deck the Halls
Suite 4 is scored for two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, organ, celesta, strings, and SATB Chorus.
Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248
J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Premiere: December 25, 1734 – January 6, 1735; Leipzig
J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248, is a compilation of six distinct cantatas, each meticulously crafted for performance on specific feast days throughout the Christmas season of 1734-1735. This ambitious cycle commenced with Part I on Christmas Day, 1734, and concluded with Part VI on Epiphany, January 6, 1735, offering the Leipzig congregation a comprehensive musical narrative of the Nativity story.
Many movements within the Christmas Oratorio were "parodied" or adapted from cantatas Bach had composed in the two decades prior to its completion. This process involved not merely repurposing music but subtly (and sometimes significantly) altering it to suit the new sacred texts and dramatic context.
Jauchzet, frohlocket! auf, erhebet die Stimmen (Shout for joy, exult! rise up, raise your voices) is part of the first cantata, which was performed on the First Day of the Festival of Christmas 1734. This cantata announces the birth of Christ, setting a jubilant and celebratory tone for the entire cycle.
The first cantata, BWV 248, is scored for two flutes, two oboes, three trumpets, timpani, strings, and continuo.
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Premiere: 1723
"Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” is one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s most recognized melodies. “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” is the English title for the chorale that appears twice within Bach’s 1723 Advent Cantata, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life), BWV 147. In its original German, the chorale is known as "Jesus bleibet meine Freude" (Jesus shall remain my joy) or "Wohl mir, daß ich Jesum habe" (It is well for me that I have Jesus).
The cantata BWV 147 itself is a product of Bach's years in Leipzig, though, as was often his practice, he masterfully "parodied" or repurposed sections from an earlier Advent cantata composed during his Weimar period (c. 1716). This method of recycling and refining existing material was common among Baroque composers, showcasing their ingenuity in adapting music to new textual and liturgical contexts. In Cantata 147, the chorale melody is derived from Johann Schop’s psalm melody
This easy and lilting tune’s journey from a liturgical chorale within an 18th-century cantata to a staple of 20th-century secular ceremonies owes much to Dame Myra Hess, who, in 1926, created a highly successful piano arrangement that used the English title "Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring." This arrangement and subsequent adaptations brought the chorale to a much broader audience, making it a perennial favorite at weddings, religious holidays, and concerts worldwide.
It is interesting to note that the well-known English translation, attributed to the poet Robert Bridges, is not a direct literal rendering of the original German text written in 1661 by Martin Janus. Instead, Bridges crafted an independent poetic interpretation, inspired by the same hymn that had inspired Bach’s setting.
Luck’s arrangement of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” that we will hear this evening is scored for flute, oboe, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, strings, and SATB chorus.
Schnee-Glöckchen, Walzer (Snowdrops Waltz), Op. 143 (1853)
Johann Strauss Jr. (1825-1899)
Premiere: December 2, 1853; Vienna, Austria
Johann Strauss II, affectionately known as the “Waltz King,” inherited a rich musical legacy from his father, the elder Johann Strauss, yet he forged his own mark on the soundscape of 19th-century Vienna. His captivating waltzes, brimming with effervescent charm and sophisticated melodies, swiftly became synonymous with the city’s vibrant cultural identity, solidifying their place as enduring staples in both the concert hall and the ballroom.
The delightful Snowdrop Waltz, Op. 183 was composed in December 1853 for a private engagement: a Russian Embassy dinner held at the renowned “Sperl” ballroom. Its public premiere followed in 1854. As with many of Strauss’s dance compositions, the Snowdrop Waltz showcases his masterful orchestration and innate gift for crafting memorable, lilting melodies that effortlessly evoke the spirit of Viennese gaiety.
Snowdrops is scored for flute, piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, and strings.
The Twelve Days of (Ohio) Christmas
John Rutter (b. 1945)
Original publication: January 5, 1989
John Rutter is an English composer, arranger, and conductor of choral music, including Christmas carols, anthems, and religious works. Rutter’s works are mainly in the style of French and English choral traditions and have been well received and widely performed in recent decades.
This uplifting take on a classic Christmas tune appears tonight with original lyrics by Lima’s own Andrew Crust.
The Twelve Days of Christmas is scored for one flute, two oboes, bassoon, two horns, percussion, harp, and strings.
Christmas Sing-a-long
John Finnegan (1926-2007)
Jingle Bells
Joy to the World
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Silent Night
Away in a Manger
Deck the Halls
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Christmas Sing-a-Long is scored for two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, and strings.
Sleigh Ride (1946-1948)
Leroy Anderson (1908-1975)
Premiere: May 4, 1948, Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler
Sleigh Ride has become a standard classic for American orchestras during the Christmas season. The fun, light-hearted melody coupled with the bouncing sleigh bells, the clip-clop of hooves (played on the temple blocks), horse whinnies from the trumpets, and the crack of the whip has delighted audiences since 1948. ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) named Sleigh Ride the most popular piece of Christmas music in the USA in 2009-2012, 2015, and 2021. In addition to live performances, Sleigh Ride is played thousands of times per season on airwaves throughout the country (in 2010, Sleigh Ride was aired 174,758 times according to performance data tracked by airplay monitoring services collected from more than 2,500 radio stations nationwide). Since 1948, over 8,000 individual recordings of Sleigh Ride have been created worldwide.
Sleigh Ride is scored for two flutes, piccolo, two clarinets, two oboes, two bassoons, two alto saxophones, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, percussion, piano, and strings.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Traditional/Arr. Arthur Harris
We Wish You a Merry Christmas is a traditional West Country English carol originating in the 16th century. The tune became widely popular in more recent times when Arthur Warrell, a music teacher at the University of Bristol, arranged the song for the Bristol University Madrigal Singers in 1935, which was subsequently published by the Oxford University Press. The work has remained popular since that publication and is frequently performed and recorded.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas is scored for two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, English Horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, strings, and SATB chorus.
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