It's still not too late to buy some Christmas music for the coming season!

Bored

Bored with the same old Christmas music? Are you playing the same thing year after year? Fancy something a bit different this year?

Then why not try something from the Birchfield Music catalogue?

Four works

We have four pieces written for the festive period this year which could be used in your Christmas concerts.

All were recently reviewed in the British Bandsman by Paul Hindmarsh and are available for quick despatch.

A Christmas Waltz:

This is a tongue-in-cheek romp through a series of Christmas songs and carols written in the style of a Strauss pot-pourri waltz. It's a really good piece to engage your audience to ask them to see how many carols they can spot.

Some are written out in full and some are just suggested with an short extract. The piece trips along well with seamless transitions between the sections. Your band will enjoy playing it as well.

The piece would be suitable for bands of all sections.

For Unto Us A Child is Born:

This band arrangement is from Handel's 'Messiah' and is recognisable as one of his most popular numbers from the Oratorio.

The arrangement is fairly straightforward in terms of its scoring with doubling from instruments in the middle of the band to provide a solid base for the melodies above.

This would suit bands of Section 2 and above and would be a sophisticated addition to your Christmas programme.

b<>Cornet Solo: How Far is it to Bethlehem?

This tune is used as the popular children's carol, 'How Far is it to Bethlehem?', but is also used for the hymn, 'When a Knight Won His Spurs'.

The solo was written for a young James Fountain and uses the melody and a developed obligato with a sensitive band accompaniment.

Like the saying goes — this is not just for Christmas!

Trombone Solo: Jesus, Good Above All Other

Written for Brad Turnbull, former trombone player with the International Staff Band, this solo can also be used at any other time of year as the hymn is often, but not always associated with Christmas.

The soloist can shine with his or her lyrical playing above a subtle accompaniment.

We have four pieces written for the festive period this year which could be used in your Christmas concertsBirchfield Music

More information:

For more information on any of the above pieces, or any other item from our catalogue, please visit our website on www.birchfieldmusic.co.uk or call 07532 136225.