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Duration: c. 4½'
Canon and quodlibet combining 44 Christmas melodies with the Pachelbel Canon.
DETAILS
1) BRASS QUINTET:
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.
RECORDED by the Fine Arts Brass Ensemble (UK) on Isis 028.
AUDIO EXCERPT by Chestnut Brass
2) ORCHESTRA:
AVAILABLE from your favorite sheet music dealer, or direct from Presser.
PROGRAM NOTES
In December 1986, I became amused that one
of the countermelodies in Pachelbel's Canon sounds a lot like Jolly Old St.
Nicholas. It soon occured to me that Jingle Bells also fits over the
Pachelbel chord progression, and with a little speeding up or slowing
down, so do some other carols. Before long I had a list and created
Pachelbel's Christmas, placing 44 familiar holiday tunes over the Pachelbel
Canon, first keeping all the Christmas music in strict canon (echoing entrances
like a round), and later letting the tunes flow as a free-for-all quodlibet.
The 1986 original was for brass quintet, which
seemed like the appropriate sound for a Christmas medley. Over the years I realized
the uniform sound quality of this ensemble was hiding the contrasting
melodies, and that creating an orchestra version would let the countermelodies
stand out more, as well as being very suitable for Christmas Pops concerts. This
new version was created in February 2005.
The brass quintet version was premiered by the
Seacoast Brass (southern NJ) in December 1986. The orchestra version was
premiered by Sheldon Bair conducting the Susquehanna Symphony (Bel Air, MD) in
December 2005.
REVIEWS
"successfully achieved... will not soon be forgotten."
– ITA Journal (Olcott), Winter 1990;
"This
is a clever, original and amusing number which will add spice to
the Christmas concert."
– Winds Magazine (UK), Summer 1990
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