Sunday, October 30, 2005

Christmas Program

Christmas Program
This year, I have worked up my own set of arrangements for a new set of holiday music for my cello solo performances, and I am drawing on a number of influences. When I was growing up, I sang in a church choir almost every Sunday. Also, during the holidays we watched a lot of great old movies with Bing Crosby and Gene Autry. I have had the good fortune to see Mr. Mel Torme in concert. And I have played cello and bass in symphonies, pops orchestras, quartets and rock and roll bands as well as my solo work. Although some of these songs may eventually come out so that other songs or requests can be included, here is the current list:

March from the Nutcracker Suite     Peter Ilich Tschaikowsky
Happy Holiday               Irving Berlin 1941
O Come, Little Children          Danish Carol
Greensleeves (What Child Is This)     English, before 1642
Frosty the Snow Man               Steve Nelson & Jack Rollins, 1950
We Three Kings of Orient Are     John H. Hopkins; traditional
Up On the House-Top               Traditional
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas          Traditional
O Little Town Of Bethlehem          Lewis Henry Redner, 1831-1908
Bring a Torch Jeannette, Isabella     French Carol, 17th Century
The First Nowell               Traditional English Carol
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear     Richard Storrs Willis, 1819-1900
Angels We Have Heard On High     French Carol
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town     J. Fred Coots, 1934
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!     Jule Styne 1945
I Saw Three Ships               Traditional
Jingle-Bell Rock               Joe Beal & Jim Boothe, 1957
Angels from the Realms of Glory     Henry Smart, 1813-79
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing     Felix Mendelsson-Bartholdy 1809-47
Silver Bells                    Livingston & Evans
Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful)     Cantus Diversi, 1751
I’ll Be Home for Christmas          Kim Gannon, Walter Kent & Buck Ram, 1943
(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays     Al Stillman & Robert Allen
Here Comes Santa Claus           Gene Autry & Oakley Haldeman, 1947
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas     Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane, 1944
The Chipmunk Song (Christmas, Don’t Be Late)     Ross Bagdasarian 1958
Blue Christmas               Billy Hayes & Jay Johnson, 1948
Hava Nagila                    Moshe Nathanson & Abraham Z. Idelsohn
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) Mel Torme & Robert Wells, 1946
White Christmas               Irving Berlin, 1940
O Holy Night                    Adolphe Adam
O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)     Traditional
Deck the Halls                    Welsh Traditional
Away In a Manger               19th Cent. American
Do You Hear What I Hear?          Noel Regney & Gloria Shayne
Joy to the World               George Friedrich Handel
Silent Night                    Franz Xaver Gruber
Jingle Bells                    Pierpont
We Wish You a Merry Christmas     Traditional
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus     Tommie Connor, 1952
There Is No Christmas Like A Home Christmas     C. Sigman & M. J. Addy, 1950
Here We Come A-Wassailing          Old English
Good King Wenceslas               Traditional
The Coventry Carol               Traditional
God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen     Traditional
The Twelve Days of Christmas     Traditional
Winter Wonderland               Felix Bernard & Dick Smith
O Come, O Come Emmanuel          Thomas Helmore
Waltz of the Flowers               Peter Ilich Tschaikowsky
Christmas in Killarney          J. Redmond, J. Cavanaugh & F. Weldon, 1950
All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth     Don Gardner, 1946
Mister Santa (Version of Mr. Sandman)     Pat Ballard, 1954


I have recently added Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy, Sleigh Ride, The Little Drummer Boy, Feliz Navadad, and Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer to this program. I am in the process of locating "It's the Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" so I can make a cello solo arrangement of that for myself also. I am constantly on the lookout for more music to work up, both for the holidays, and for the rest of the year.
Estimated live play time: approx. 2 hours total (est).