String Ensemble - Level 2 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1335183 By Bing Crosby. By Irving Berlin. Arranged by Des McNutty. Baroque,Broadway,Christmas,Classical,Early Music,Musical/Show. 13 pages. Des Press #921029. Published by Des Press (A0.1335183). White Christmas was written by Irving Berlin for the 1942 musical film Holiday Inn. It won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and Bing Crosby's recording topped the Billboard chart in 1942, 1943 and 1944. It returned to the charts several more times, selling more than 50 million physical copies to date. This amount is doubled when cover versions by other artists are included. This arrangement is a Baroque-style instrumentation; two violins, a soloistic obbligato viola da gamba, organ and/or harpsichord (played tasto) and a part for a bass instrument or two, figured for the optional lute or theorbo. This is a new arrangement, rather than a transcription of a known version. It is in the same tonality as Bing Crosby's hit record but has only one framed chorus. The organ/ cembalo part, where treetops glisten in the snow, has a cheeky reference to a concert in which an organist triumphantly flipped the last page of their hardback score with such gusto that it dropped onto the keys in the silence between the end of an oratorio and the start of the applause. The part for viola da gamba might need some preparation by a competent player and would be quite a challenge for a daring cellist. The other parts are on the easy side of intermediate. Duration: ca 1'50'' May your days be merry and bright!
