Season’s Beatings
Eleven Offbeat Arrangements for Percussion Ensemble
SEASON’S BEATINGS is a quirky collection of offbeat holiday arrangements for percussion ensemble, taking eleven of our most cherished tunes of the season and turns them on their head!
All pieces are scored at the beginning-to-intermediate level for 8 to 10 players using standard percussion instrumentation. They are designed to be used either as stand-alone pieces or as interludes within a holiday concert program. Using the included transition suggestions, you can mix and match to create your own wintery suites!
Included in this collection:
- DECK THE HALLS
- ROBIN LAID AN EGG (adapted from Jingle Bells)
- CAROL OF THE BELLS
- DRUMMER BOY (adapted from Carol of the Drum)
- THE TWELVE DRUM FILLS OF CHRISTMAS (adapted from The Twelve Days of Christmas)
- SILENT NIGHT | (Florida, grade 3)
- O TANNENBAUM
- HARK! (adapted from Hark the Herald Angels Sing)
- COME ALL YE (adapted from Come All Ye Faithful)
- BARTOK BUILDS A SNOWMAN (adapted from Frosty the Snowman) | (Florida, grade 3)
- SLAY RIDE (adapted from Sleigh Ride)
Individual parts (PDF) and audio recordings are included.
Instrumentation varies a bit between each piece in the collection, and not every piece will require the instruments outlined below. However, this listing comprises the sum of all instruments used throughout the collection.
- Glockenspiel
- Chimes
- Xylophone
- Vibraphone
- Marimba (low A)
- 4 timpani
- Drumset – kick, snare, toms (2-3), hi-hat, crash cymbal, ride cymbal
- Cymbals & gongs – suspended cymbals (2), hi-hat, hand cymbals, gong or tam-tam
- Drums – concert snare, concert bass, bongos
- Accessories – tambourine, triangle, sleigh bells, temple blocks, claves, windchimes
Reviews
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Susan Martin Tariq –
This collection of uniquely arranged holiday songs and carols for percussion instruments is sure to be a hit with young students and audiences alike. The pieces, ranging from one to just over 3½-minutes in length, can be performed as a suite or as short features on a holiday concert. The titles alone let you know that these tunes are not presented in a traditional fashion! They are “Deck the Halls,” “Robin Laid an Egg (adapted from Jingle Bells),” “Carol of the Bells,” “Drummer Boy,” “The Twelve Drum Fills of Christmas,” “Silent Night,” “O Tannenbaum,” “Hark!,” “Come All Ye,” “Bartok Builds a Snowman,” and “Slay Ride.”
These works offer a variety of keys, time signatures, rhythmic grooves, styles, modes, harmonies (and dissonances!), and techniques (such as easy pedaling and glissandi on timpani), just to name a few. Each work is challenging enough to hold the young students’ attention and unique enough to hold their interest. Fun and educational, “hats off” to Jesse Mattson!