Holiday music – how’s everyone?

[deb-l]

hello, Fall transformed into winter here in New England it is suddenly winter with signs of Christmas everywhere. I picked up some Christmas music today, Angi Bemis Nativity Carols and two that my husband is going to learn with me on Piano, Away in a Manger and Silent night. Neither of us have been practicing regularly lately so some fresh sheet music and less than a month to learn the pieces are good incentive.

What has everyone been up to? Still very happy with my harps, learning ballet still too, even though I turned 50 last month. Can’t tell who’s who on this new forum. Either none of the old crowd came over or people are using different names.

Sherry,
Did you get your lever harp this summer?

[Paul and Brenda]

We are working up Christmas music now. Takes us about 6 weeks to get it really going for December.

[Angela Biggs]

I’ve been working on Christmas since July/August. Unfortunately, I’m getting sick of it a month too early. 🙂 I think this week I’m going to pick up some fresh music and try to memorize something short and sweet, just for a change. . .

[janet-peterson]

1 down, 19 more Nutcrackers to go. Just wish we were doing the Nutty Nutcracker performances this year. Those are always refreshing.

[Briggsie B. Peawiggle]

I’m about ready now to play a few movements from Ceremony of Carols with a local church choir. I’m also playing “What Child is This” (Burton) with a flutist and an oboist, and “Some Children See Him” (Bemiss) with a 10-year old girl singer who has the sweetest voice I’ve heard in a long while. Next Sunday instead of playing an organ prelude, I’m planning to play “Advent Meditation” (Loucks) on my Troubadour harp. I planned for Advent to have different arrangements of “Veni Veni Emmanuel” each Sunday. The second Sunday will be my friend playing a jazz arrangement on piano, and the third Sunday will be my own arrangement for 2 flutes, organ and “singing” bells on an open fifth.

Briggsie
PS: Can you tell I am enjoying my church job. The musical resources there are great.

[barbara-christensen]

In two weeks I am playing in a concert. My teacher does most of the arranging and would like to share any of his arrangements for the asking. Three of my favorites of his many compositions/arrangements:
1. Suite for Mother Goose for Toy Piano and Harp. I am playing three in the suite: The Muffin Man, Three Blind Mice and HIckory Dickory Dock. We painted a toy piano bright red and my teacher built a stand for it. This requires a pedal harp and a warning – those three mice are running all over the place. These 3 are in a PDF file and easy for me to send if you’d like to see them. There are over 10 in the suite.
2. Adagietto by Damase – a flutist is playing melody with me and my teacher wrote a lovely interlude for flute and harp – a contemporary feel. It would make a nice piece to play any time of the year. We are opening the concert with this.
3. Variations on What Child Is This for flute, harp and piano. The flute part was written specifically for a very gifted flutist. Last year we played this in a concert and the flutist liked it so well we wanted to repeat it this year.
My teacher, Ron Canipe, is not interested in compensation but would like to see his work performed.

[Alison]

I think I shall perform Tournier’s Les Enfants a la Creche de Noel, from his 2nd Images for a local church, as I have worked on it before but never performed it, so polishing it will be useful. I wonder how it sounds to new listeners, as typically for Tournier it seems to have short 3-6 bar sections, with themes he returns to. Has anyone else played this out ?
I don’t like to start on Christmas until Veterans Day is over, but some things need more time and I often think to look at Ceremony in the fall, in case a request comes in.

[deb-l]

I’m very jealous Janet! I love the harp part for the adagio following the sugar plum fairy dance. I guess playing the Nutcracker 20 times might seem a little much, . I love how the harp is featured in ballet. Your very lucky to play such a beautiful piece professionally.

[jessica-wolff]

I enjoyed a harp concert featuring 18 harps last Sunday. All traditional carols and no “Frosty” or “Rudolph.”

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