I’m having fun doing arrangements of classic songs. You can follow along as my professional musician friends share their insights.
And you can put in your thoughts too. Help me figure out how to make a good arrangement of this song. Just put your comments (click at top of post). We’ll crowd source an arrangement!
Here is my arrangement of a traditional Christmas carol: The First Noel. Its truths are eternal, its melody is old (13-14th century?), and the words recent (within the last 150 years). Many versions have been devised but the most common ones are based on the words of William Sandy in 1833. Similarly, the original folk melody most frequently reflects the arrangement of John Stainer’s 1871 arrangment.
The audio is an export of the Sibelius file used to make the arrangement.
Version 1
In my version, we start in 4/4 time (a switch from the usual ¾ waltz-like rhythm. As composer Ken DeJung notes, it has some problems with the lead (T2) being buried under the baritone. And it is a bit muddy in some places (a problem with low-voice arrangements).
Here is the first version of the score, and an MP3 file of the computer pretending to be human.
Version 2
The second version frills out the opening chords; they are not just “Ah!’s” anymore. To help open up the harmony, there are key changes, allowing the lead to more easily be switched between parts.
There is also a round. Which turned out better than I expected.
Here is the second version of the score, and an MP3 file of the computer pretending to be human.
Here is a performance by the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, England.