Time to start practicing that Christmas repertoire!
What Child Is This is a beautiful 16th century tune, also known as Greensleeves. This duet arrangement is from The Christmas Duet Book, a collection of 20 carols arranged for string duet. This version is for viola and cello, but the book is also available for violin and viola, violin and cello, two cellos or two violas.
This is a collection of 21 lovely pieces for viola and cello friends (or siblings) to play together. In fact, I originally made it as a birthday gift for my viola-playing brother :)
One of those pieces is the famous waltz from Tcaikovsky's ballet Sleeping Beauty. This melody was made even more famous when Walt Disney used it in his retelling of the old fairy tale in 1959:
And then it hit the charts again in 2014, when Lana Del Rey's version Once Upon A Dream was heard in the movie Maleficent.
My version stays closer to Tcaikovsky's original:
Sooner or later I might get around to making Duet Books for other string instruments, too. Until then, some of the duets in this collection are already available for violin and viola, violin and cello, viola duet and cello duet. Download them here: Elin Korneliussen duets at Sheet Music Plus.
Need a nice piece of ensemble music that your very youngest beginners can join in on?
This arrangement is super easy! The first part (sun part) is a cute little British children's song called "I'm A Little Teapot":
Students who have played their instrument for a year or so should be able to play this without problems. If your group consists of complete beginners only, why not sing the first part instead of playing it?
The second part (moon part) is meant for those who have only just started putting fingers on the string - notes on the D string only, and mostly the same rhythm as the melody.
Then there is the third part (star part), which follows the same rhythm as the second part, but on open strings only.
In other words: This piece is super easy to play, and super easy to learn by ear! It's from a book called "First Lesson Orchestra", available on Sheet Music Plus. This book contains eleven pieces for ensemble playing with absolute beginners. Some of them are even easier than this one! And some have first parts that are a bit more challenging. The download contains parts for both cello and violin, which may be mixed as needed. It's also provided with chords for accompaniment. Check it out here!
PS: If you haven't seen Benedict Cumberbatch perform I'm A Little Teapot -
This is the last of the three little pieces for junior strings that together form a "Junior Suite". The pieces have an optional viola part, and the double bass part may also be played by cellos (in this movement the double bass part is optional).
Edit: Blueberry Blues is now a part of a new and improved suite: A Very Berry Suite! Listen to it here:
I've been having fun with iMovie recently, and here's one of the results:
This is of course one of the movements from my Dino Dances for children's string orchestra (see this blog post from 2012), and one of my most popular pieces ever! Hope you liked my little animation 😄
The Merry Folk is the fifth movement from «A Fantasy Suite» , written for young string quartets.
«A Fantasy Suite» takes you on a journey through imaginary realms both
dangerous and beautiful: past enchanted rivers and forests where elves
sing and dance among the trees.
Inspired by folklore and
fairytales as well as fantasy books, games and movies, this
piece provides a fun challenge for young string players and adult
ensembles alike. All of the players are allowed to shine, although the
first violin part requires more position playing than the others.
Level: Easy/early intermediate. While the movements vary a bit in difficulty, The Merry Folk is fairly easy.
Movements:
1. The Path Ahead
2. The Enchanted River
3. Lost In The Nether
4. Rain In The Forest Of The Elves
5. The Merry Folk
The whole suite, complete with all parts, is available at Sheet Music Plus.
Who doesn't want to play the famous theme from the hit game Angry Birds!
This is a fun addition to the
repertoire of any string ensemble - the double bass part is
optional, and you can play Angry Birds Theme in a quartet, quintet or string orchestra. The
difficulty level is not too daunting, either. Young and old alike will enjoy this upbeat piece!
More music for viola and cello! 💕 This time it's one of the most famous songs from perhaps the most popular opera ever: Carmen, by Georges Bizet!
In the iconic Habanera, Carmen herself sings about Love; that wild bird which no one has ever succeded in taming...
This arrangement is not very difficult, but it's not suitable for beginners, so I have marked it "early intermediate". For those of you who are familiar with the Suzuki repertoire, this will be somewhere in the region of book two or three.
This duet, as well as versions for violin and viola, violin and cello, two violas, and two cellos, is available at Sheet Music Plus: Habanera from Carmen for string duets.
Finally, it's coming around again (at least, it is in my part of the world): Springtime! And what better way to celebrate than playing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's wonderful May Song - also known as Sehnsucht nach dem Frühlinge, or "Longing For Spring"?
This is a classic four-part arrangement for string quartet or orchestra, a slightly different version from the one I have previously published. May your spring be sunny and filled with joyful music making!
