My new piece, Bell Carol is now available for download and performance from this website.
The work is set for SSSAA, with optional tambourine or sleigh bells. A piano reduction is provided on the score for easy rehearsals.
Duration is approximately 2-3 minutes, and the level of difficulty / rehearsal allocation time is low to moderate.
The piece contains an optional small semichorus at the end, and a small soprano 1 solo, also optional. Both lines can be sung by full choral sections, depending on the choir.
I have attempted to imbue Bell Carol with a sense of bells chiming rhythmically throughout, representing the chiming of Church bells on Christmas morning.
This builds with greater and greater urgency, until a sudden halt near the conclusion, as the visitor is drawn inside the building, and welcomed by an ethereal solo voice rising in beauty to the words, “I heard the bells on Christmas Day”.
I hope you all enjoy the piece.
Bell Carol is released under Creative Commons license 3.0 BY-NC-ND.
[Click for Bell Carol mp3]
[Click for Bell Carol PDF score]
Bell Carol
Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!
Sing! Sing Christmas today! Sing Christmas today!
Sing a song of joy! Ring a song of joy!
Ding dong!
Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!
Sing! And be of good cheer! For Christmas is here!
Sing a song of peace! Ring a song of peace!
Ding dong!
Ding ding dong, ding ding dong
Ding-a-ling-a ding ding dong!
Ding ding dong, ding ding dong
Ding-a-ling-a ding ding dong!
Ring!
Ding dong! Ding dong ding dong ding dong!
Ding dong! Ding dong ding dong ding dong!
Ding dong! Ding dong ding dong ding dong!
Merry merry merry Christmas!
Merry merry merry Christmas!
Ding-a-ling-a ling-a ding dong!
Bells ring out! Bells ring out!
Hear bells chime, sing in time, joy sublime
Christmas is here!
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
Everyone sing
Merry merry merry Christmas!
Merry merry merry Christmas!
Ding-a-ling-a ling-a ding dong!
Bells ring out! Bells ring out!
Bells ring out! Bells ring out!
Bells! Bells! Bells! Bells!
Merry! Merry! Christmas! Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
I heard the bells on Christmas Day…
Ahhh…
Leanne Daharja Veitch's works have been described as "magical", delving into the "very essence of that which makes music great".
This is about another piece of yours I found on cpdl, ‘Mary sings a Lullaby’: I was enchanted. It’s medieval and haunting, sweetly melancholy and so rich in the way it touches both heart and imagination. Thank you for sharing music so special.
Hi Christina – Thanks so much for the positive feedback. I’m pretty happy with “Mary Sings A Lullaby” too
Cheers,
Leanne.
Hi Leanne, When is the SSATB version of this work likely to be released? I’m DoM for a 20 voice choir in New York, and am interested in performing it this Christmas. Regards John McGrath.