New music for the holidays includes (from l. to r.): two carol arrangements for harp ensemble by Cindy Horstman; a setting of “He Is Born” for two pedal or lever harps; an original solo by Alexandra Genova; and a solo arrangement by the late Corkey Christman.

Christmas will be here in the blink of an eye, so there’s no time to lose if you want to add some new sounds to your holiday repertoire. 

Cindy Horstman has published a delightful arrangement of “Deck the Halls” for three harps. Some jazzy chords and syncopated rhythms add a contemporary flavor to this evergreen. It is in G major. 

Harp 1 plays the melody. The first verse is just the melody in octaves. The second verse is the melody played in thirds and sixths. There are two scale glisses. Harp 1 can be adapted for lever harp with a couple of manageable lever movements. Harp 2 also plays the melody but an octave lower than Harp 1. The second verse also includes some sixths. There are some easy pedal changes and chords at the end. This part is not as lever harp friendly as Harp 1, but not impossible with some pre-set levers or adjustments.

Harp 3 is mostly the bassline and accompaniment. It is the most difficult of the three parts with several pedal changes and some muffling effects. If you’re using the sheet music, you may want to lay this out in a notebook differently than it is printed to eliminate one page turn and do it at a more opportune time.

The most difficult thing about this trio is the rhythm, and the music is suitable for intermediate level players. 

Horstman has also published a lovely arrangement of “The First Noel” for two harps in G major. This is a mellow rendition that uses some non-traditional, jazz-based harmonies. 

Harp 1 has the melody. For the first verse, it expands from a single, right hand note to thirds, and then octaves. For the second verse, Harp 1 plays a variation on the melody until the chorus. A few rolled chords are added before finishing with octaves. There are a couple pedal changes at the end. This part could be played on lever harp with some minor adjustments to manage the lever changes.

Harp 2 makes this feel like a lullaby with the tender, rocking motion used for the accompaniment. The frequent pedal changes produce some lush, modern chords, but are not difficult. This duet is a little easier than the previous piece and sets a pleasant, contemplative mood. 

All pedal markings are clearly marked below the staff for both arrangements. There is no notation for lever harp. They both come with a full score as well as the individual parts, and the typesetting is easy to read. You can hear these very likable arrangements played by the arranger on her website, cindyhorstman.com.  

Joy Slavens has also published a new Christmas harp duet (joyslavensmusic.com). “He Is Born” is for two pedal or lever harps in B-flat major. A four-measure intro sets the tempo and joyful mood.  

The melody is played primarily by Harp 1 with both hands in unison, but Harp 2 also plays it off and on as well as providing harmony a third below the melody. Mostly, Harp 2 plays eighth notes in the left hand at the start of each measure in a I-V-I pattern, followed by a chord on the third beat in the right hand. Harp 2 also features some cookie cutter fifths played hand over hand. Harp 1 plays the I-V-I pattern briefly at the end, a scale gliss, and some whole note chords. 

There is one manageable page turn on each part, and the typesetting is easy to read. Fingering is suggested in a few places, and there are no pedal or lever changes. Intermediate players can sight-read this music, and it is also accessible to upper beginning players. It comes with the score and both parts. This is a simple and charming duet of this traditional French carol.

If you don’t need Christmas harp ensemble music, there are some new solo harp options. Alexandra Genova has written and published an original piece for lever or pedal harp. The composer calls this “Feather in the Snow (a Christmas Lullaby),” but since your audience isn’t likely to recognize it, you could play it year round. It is just three pages in length and it is a pretty, sight-readable melody in F major. 

The largest intervals are a few tenths. No fingering is suggested, and the intermediate players able to sight-read this shouldn’t need any. Eighth notes in both hands provide a feeling of constant, gentle motion. A few harmonics at the end suggest the sound of tinkling bells. There are no pedal or lever changes. This is short, sweet, easy to play, and useful. 

The late Corkey Christman wrote an arrangement of “The Sleep of the Infant Jesus,” and it has been published under Bozenkill Media LLC, by his former student, Bill Van Patten. Both pedal and lever harp players merely need to pre-set their F and D pedals or levers to sharp, and they’ll be ready to play this inventive arrangement in E harmonic minor. 

The first verse has mostly chords in the left hand and the melody in the right hand. The melody switches to the left hand on the second verse while the right hand plays chords or octaves off the beat. Just before the end of the verse, the right hand resumes the melody. Larger intervals are used on the final verse. One especially interesting measure has the melody played in unison in both hands with bass notes at the bottom with the left hand and a short descant played above the melody with the right thumb. 

This is only two pages in length, but Christman packed a lot of creativity into this short, eighteenth-century French carol. 

All of this music is available on harpcolumnmusic.com. Happy Holidays! •