String Quartet Cello,String Quartet,Viola,Violin - Level 3 - Digital Download SKU: A0.749216 Composed by Traditional. Arranged by HELEN MARPLE-HORVAT. Christian,Christmas,Classical,Sacred. Score and parts. 17 pages. Helen Marple-Horvat #3886401. Published by Helen Marple-Horvat (A0.749216). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvRBiRXV_5c&index=17&list=PLvlvfzn8EHuO941zg_1L4U6pyFnDK9dmj This is my third carol in a minor key! I love the harmonic possibilities, especially the false relations in all of them! Down the years I enjoyed singing this one in choral groups, and also sharing it with pupils in choirs. Included are various harmonisations of the wonderful tune, as well as some rhythmic surprises. If you would like to watch a video of a professional quartet playing my arrangement on Youtube, look up my channel by typing Skinny Black Dogs, Capriccio Quartet, Coventry Carol. They play it at a very fast speed, feeling it as one in a bar. Approx 140 bpm. However, I have also included a 30 second clip of some of the Sibelius Score at a much slower speed of 100 bpm. I think that the tempo is a matter of personal preference. The dissonance is more pronounced and beautiful at the slower speed, but the unexpected extra bars are more fun at a faster speed. At bar 68, the climactic section the cellist should be playing arco! There was a mistake in the score and I have now corrected it! This is a good key for strings, and the double stopping always includes an open string. Although advanced players can make use of higher positions, younger players can use open strings which will not detract from this ancient style! I hope you enjoy playing this arrangement. Let me hear any phone recordings by sending them to me on Facebook. I always love to hear them. In my catalogue you may also enjoy ‘Angel Gabriel’ and ‘O Come Emmanuel’ too as they are in similar style.
