Angelband

TIDINGS OF JOY
 Beginner Band setting by: Brian Harris

With a nice minor mode sound, Tidings of Joy is a simple yet enjoyable piece for your beginners and audience. It is similar in style to Joy to the King but places a few extra demands on the players.

The piece opens with God Rest Ye Merry, harmonized in drone fashion, then features a soli middle section of Patapan for which you "audition" the players who get to play this more difficult middle section (keeps your best players challenged!) - while the rest of the band vocalizes a single pitch on "ahh." The piece then recaps with God Rest Ye Merry with a slightly fuller instrumentation and a simple flute obligato line.

And remember, with our site-licensing policy, your students can keep their parts as a souvenir of their first real band concert!
LEVEL:
 Very Easy; Grade 1/2 

Appropriate for beginners who have encountered eighth-notes and the key of E-flat.

SAMPLES:
 Sample pages (.pdf): 
Sound file:
COST:
 $25 U.S. for PDF of full score, parts, site-license. 
PROGRAMMING:
  • Christmas concert 
  • Performance Time: about 3 minutes
    • FEATURES:
  • Melody opportunities for all wind parts. 
  • Multiple percussion parts give colorful sound; timpani provide bass ostinato.
  • Students sing "ahh" on a single note - great for improving intonation!
  • Soli section in middle will motivate players to learn the part so they get to play the melody (keeps your better players challenged).
  • Low brass parts are very simple.
    		•
    CHALLENGES:
  • Independence of lines (melody played with/against simple bass and accompaniment; simple flute obligato line at last section).
  • Some slurs and eighth-notes.
  • Key/few accidentals (mostly in flutes, oboe, clarinet, and trumpet).
  • A few extended range notes for some parts.
    		•
    KEY and RANGES:
    		 C minor (3 flats)  

    Some Clarinets play low G and F (m. 14 and 48) - put your best players on these low notes and have rest play the comfortable notes of D and C.
    INSTRUMENTATION:
    		 Basic Instrumentation
    MINIMUM
    INSTRUMENTATION
    REQUIREMENTS:
    		 Flute, 2 Clarinets, Alto Sax, Trumpet, Bass Line*, 1 Percussion (Timpani)
      * At least one: Trombone, Horn, or Tenor Sax and Bassoon, Bass Clarinet, Bari Sax, or Tuba 
    PERCUSSION:
    		 Five percussion parts: 

      Timpani = no pitch changes, written for 3 drums (G, C, G) and optional B-flat on fourth drum; can be simplified to 2 drums (C, G)

      Bells/Tambourine = can be played by a single player

      Chimes = uses four notes (G, A, B-flat, and C); whole notes and two dotted-half notes

      Percussion 1 = Suspended Cymbal, Tenor Drum, Bass Drum (2 or 3 players) 

      Percussion 2 = Triangle, Finger Cymbals (2 players; can use multiple players on these parts)

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