Christmas Quirks (Handel, Pierpont, Trad.)
arranged for percussion ensemble
Christmas Quirks by Calvin Warren III is a clever mashup of classic holiday tunes perfect for a full-sized ensemble with lots of personality. The performers will get to switch between jazz, rock, classical, hip-hop, and even punk rock styles as they quote familiar Christmas classics such as Joy to the World, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, and Jingle Bells.
This arrangement calls for standard percussion ensemble instrumentation and incorporates a piano/bass/drums rhythm section to swing and rock in the holiday spirit over pop chord progressions.
Christmas Quirks would make for an excellent holiday concert closer that will leave the audience smiling and ready for an eggnog!
This piece ships as a fully bound score and includes individual parts in PDF format for either printing or tablet viewing.
- Glockenspiel
- Chimes
- 2 Vibraphones
- Xylophone
- 2 Marimbas — (4-octave A)
- Drumset
- 4 Timpani
- Piano
- Bass Guitar
- Drumset
- Drums —concert bass drum, mounted kick drum
- Cymbals & gongs — hand cymbals, 2 suspended cymbals, Zil-bel, tam-tam
- Accessories — slapstick, sleigh bells, slide whistle, tambourine, 2 woodblocks
Reviews
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Hannah Weaver –
Santa Claus is coming to town, and he’s brought a whole Christmas band with him. In this charming arrangement of classic Christmas tunes, Calvin Warren III has brought all the quirkiness imaginable to your holiday favorites. While the piece may be short at 2. minutes, there is plenty of musical material to develop young students’ skills. All pitched percussion players have to play in E-flat minor — a good challenge for many high school students. The mallet percussionists have a number of rapid scalar and chromatic runs, and the marimbists are called upon to play dead strokes. The three percussion players have to navigate multi-percussion setups, and their various sound effects (slide whistle, sleighbells, woodblock, slapstick) are crucial to the comedic timing of the piece.
The piano part is not prohibitively challenging; aside from one quick triplet run in the right hand, it’s primarily comprised of block chords, long tones, and walking bass lines. The bass guitar part is similar in difficulty, with the occasional chromaticism to the walking bass line. The drumset part is manageable for a high school student, demanding several common styles (swing, polka, shuffle, half-time, and punk-rock feels) as well as a short improvised solo.
“Christmas Quirks” is a perfect amuse-bouche for any holiday concert. Sprinkle a little sleighbell magic into any program with this delightful arrangement of holiday favorites like “Joy to the World,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” and “Jingle Bells.”
—Hannah Weaver
Percussive Notes
Vol. 63, No. 2, April 2025