God Rest Ye is a series of variations of the Christmas carol “God Rest You Merry Gentlemen.” The piece begins with the statement of the theme with rests within the phrase. The woodwinds play this theme. The first variation is orchestrational with the theme played over a bass line ostinato. The second variation is in a 6/8 renaissance style with two other counter melodies against the theme. The third variation is a five voice canon, which includes the theme in a three part harmony soaring high above and twice as slow as the five voice canon. The last variation is the theme rhythmically altered. Quite comically, this piece was completed on October 31.
Duration: 4.5 Minutes
Number of measures: 119
Number of pages (Score): 15
| Instrumentation Piccolo Flute 1 Flute 2 Oboe 1 Oboe 2 Bassoon Bb Clarinet 1 Bb Clarinet 2 Bb Clarinet 3 Bb Bass Clarinet Eb Contra Bass Clarinet (ad lib) Eb Alto Saxophone 1 Eb Alto Saxophone 2 Bb Tenor Saxophone Eb Baritone Saxophone Bb Trumpet 1 Bb Trumpet 2 Bb Trumpet 3 French Horn 1 French Horn 2 French Horn 3 French Horn 4 Trombone 1 Trombone 2 Baritone Tuba String Bass (ad lib) Timpani Mallets - Wind Chimes Orchestra Bells, Chimes Percussion 1 - Triangle, Tambourine, Suspended Cymbal, Crash Cymbal, Percussion 2 - Snare Drum, Bass Drum |
Excerpts
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Performance History Commissioned by the Long Beach Shoreline Concert Band. The piece was premiered by the Shoreline Concert Band and was conducted by Eric D. Sharp on December 19, 1999 at the Lakewood First Baptist Church in Lakewood, CA. The piece was also performed by the Huntington Beach Concert Band and was conducted by Eric D. Sharp on December 17, 2000 at the Huntington Beach Library in Huntington Beach, CA. |