SKU: A0.548478

Traditional Christmas song arranged for Oboe & Piano. Third verse features new harmony. Score: 2 pg. Part: 1 pg.

Away in a Manger

Away in a Manger is a popular Christmas song published originally sometime in the later 19th century and performed throughout the world. In England, it is considered one of the two most popular carols of all time; a 1996 poll ranked it as a tie for second place. To begin with, many thought it was written by Martin Luther, but now the song is considered to be absolutely American. The most common musical arrangements are by William Kirkpatrick (1895) and James R. Murray (1887). The melody was first published, as Luther's Cradle Hymn, by James R. Murray. Then, came a confusing series of explanations about how Martin Luther wrote the song. Murray even went so far as to suggest that Luther wrote it for his children. As a result, the song has become known as simply Mueller. Nobody knows who this Mueller actually is, but the name stuck.

Popularity

By the 1880’s the cradle song was being performed in church. By the 1990’s the song was becoming the most popular Christmas song of all time. It was sung in school, in church, and at home by nearly everyone.

Other musical settings

The first musical setting published with the lyrics appeared in the Little Children's Book for Schools and Families (1885). The title was Away in a Manger. This edition is the first one not to attribute the song to Martin Luther.

Charles H. Gabriel was the first arranger to present the third verse. He also composed and published a large number of different arrangements of the song. In one of his settings, he supplies a chorus for each verse with asleep sung in canon. Another prevalent preparation uses the lyrics to the melody Flow Gently, Sweet Afton. Yet another arrangement dating uses the lyrics to an old Normandy Carol.  Register for free lifetime updates and revisions of this product at www.jamesguthrie.com

SKU: A0.549448

Score: 10 pages, solo part: 2 pages, piano part: 3 pages. Duration: 4:25. Requires sensitivity & dynamic control.
Suitable for recitals, church meditations, or school programs.

School Years

First of all, Sullivan attended music school at the Royal Academy of Music. Because Sullivan was so talented, the Academy awarded him the Mendelssohn Scholarship for two years in a row. He, therefore, studied with John Goss, who studied with Thomas Atwood, who in turn studied with Mozart. Sullivan similarly studied the piano at the Academy with Arthur O’Leary.

Study Abroad

During his first year, he also earned money by singing solos in the Chapel Royal. At the end of his second year, the Academy consequently continued his scholarship and sent him to study at the Leipzig Conservatoire. He certainly studied composition, and likewise counterpoint and piano. Hence, during his final year in Leipzig, Sullivan finally completed his graduation composition project: Incidental Music for Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Association with Gilbert

It seems like Sullivan built the bulk of his composing career largely in the 1860s. As a result, he became famous for his incidental music for the Tempest and his Irish Symphony. He, therefore, began collaborating with the poet W. S. Gilbert in the 1870s. Rather than focus on serious opera, Gilbert and Sullivan, in contrast, concentrated on comic opera such as H. M. S. Pinafore, the Pirates of Penzance, and the Mikado. Therefore, certainly as a result of his education and experience, Sullivan composed a total of 24 operas, 11 symphonic works, 10 choral pieces. Even more, he wrote a large number of noteworthy hymns such as Onward Christian Soldiers.

Lost Chord

The general style of his music is maybe similar to Mendelssohn, Schumann, and perhaps Liszt. It seems like Sullivan was fond of writing distinct melodies for each character in his operettas. His melodies combine together as the characters did. Furthermore, he was a master orchestrator, and therefore played the flute, clarinet, trumpet, and trombone fluently.

The Lost Chord

Sullivan wrote his most noteworthy song the Lost Chord in 1877. As a result, it was a great success and was certainly performed all over the world by a variety of singers such as Enrico Caruso. Because Sullivan was the most famous composer in England, the Lost Chord became the most famous of all British or American songs of the 1870s and 1890s. Consequently, in 1888 Thomas Edison recorded The Lost Chord for the phonograph. It was one of the first songs ever recorded. Furthermore, Queen Victoria knighted Sullivan in 1883.

 Register for free lifetime updates and revisions of this product at www.jamesguthrie.com