Christmas Carol: To Drive The Cold Winter Away

Time to start practicing for those end of the year concerts? Why not try this lovely old carol: «To Drive The Cold Winter Away», also known as «All Hail To The Days» or «In Praise Of Christmas». This Elizabethan carol is a praise of all the comfort there is to be had in the darkest time of the year:

«This time of the year is spent in good cheer,
And neighbours together do meet,
To sit by the fire, with friendly desire,
Each other in love do greet;
Old grudges forgot, are put in the pot,
All sorrows aside they lay,
The old and the young doth carol his song,
To drive the cold winter away.»

This pleasant theme of midwinter comforts makes this piece a good choice for winter events such as school parties and New Year festivities as well as for Christmas concerts.

In this arrangement for string orchestra with piano, all the parts have significant and interesting roles to play (although it's possible to do without the piano, if you skip the intro). The difficulty level is fairly easy, but the players must of course be able to play in the D minor/F major key.

Separate parts available at Sheet Music Plus.

The Banks Of Allan - Scottish Jig

Jigs and reels and other lively folk dance tunes are always popular in my youth orchestra. This one is a jig from Scotland, and a lot of fun to play! I have tried to give all of the parts some interesting challenges. The piano part is optional.

You can download the parts on Sheet Music Plus - in which case you'll get an Irish jig into the bargain :)

Copyrighted arrangement: Another Day In Paradise by Phil Collins

Another of my arrangements is now available at Sheet Music Plus: Phil Collins' lovely 1989 pop ballad "Another Day In Paradise". The song deals with poverty and homelessness, and how we treat our fellow humans. It's a sweet melody that works beautifully as an instrumental piece.

Buy it here: Another Day In Paradise for String Quartet
Available for string quartet, string quintet with piano, viola and piano, cello and piano.

Screenshot from Sheet Music Plus

Komm, Lieber Mai - Mozart's May Song

It's May, and time for some spring music! This is a simple and flexible arrangement of Mozart's famous song.

You can use just the melody part (Violin 1 / Viola 1 / Cello 1) together with the slightly easier harmony part (Violin 2 / Viola 2 / Cello 2).  It may also be used as a duet for violin (or viola, or cello) and piano. The piano part is written for a young player of the same age as the rest of the orchestra.

Enjoy! :)

Grieg: Three Lyric Pieces – 3. Halling

Part three of the Three Lyric Pieces by Edvard Grieg. The Halling is a traditional Norwegian dance in which a male dancer gets to show off his athletic skills:

The viola part may be substituted for the cello 1 part.

I appreciate your views on my arrangements! :)

Grieg: Three Lyric Pieces – 1. Springdans

This is my arrangement of three of Edvard Grieg's lyric pieces, for youth string orchestra.
Edvard Grieg was one of the national romantic composers of the late 19th century, and his work is very much inspired by Norwegian folk music. This arrangement is written for a youth orchestra with two cello groups, but I also provide a viola part which may be substituted for the cello 1 part. The piano part is written with a student in mind.

I hope you enjoy these pieces with their distinctive Norwegian style!

Part two is coming soon...