String Quartet Cello,String Quartet,Viola,Violin - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1192354 Composed by Martin Shaw and Percy Dearmer. Arranged by Gayle Gould. 19th Century,Children,Christian,Christmas,Historic. 22 pages. Gayle Gould #791785. Published by Gayle Gould (A0.1192354). A happy and fun string quartet arrangement, approximately Grade 4, of a popular early-American Christmas carol originating in England, with sources placing it at various dates and locales. Given the cultural setting, and given the popularity of country dances, no doubt at least the children danced to this tune.The carol is also known by the name The First Good Thing That Mary Had, which is the first line of text.PDF contains the full score, individual parts, and a piano reduction provided to give a quick idea of what the arrangement sounds like. The number of verses varies, but one thing is for certain. It's purpose was to teach the story of the Virgin Mary from the birth of Jesus until His glorification in heaven. There are at least seven verses, each one telling Mary's experiences through the life of Christ. No doubt this was used to teach children and others who did not have or could not read the Scriptures.
