Christmas time is my favourite time of year. I love the festive spirit and all the Christmas music both traditional and modern.
This piece is based on the traditional Ukrainian Bell Carol that was composed by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych. Throughout the piece you hear a four note ostinato that is the backbone to the music. I have taken those ideas and motifs and have mixed them with some of my own to create this piece of Christmas music.
For something different I have given this piece two endings for the conductor to choose. The first ending is at bar 189 (page 18 in the score) where there is the repeated four bar ostinato section in the solo cornets and percussion that is marked "Keep repeating and fade to nothing". This is so the piece can either fade to nothing or for a bit of originality the piece can fade into the next piece during a concert programme.
For ending number two you need to cut from bar 189 to 193 (bypassing ending one). And continue to the end. The choice of endings should bring some interesting performances of this wonderful traditional Christmas piece.
Paul Lovatt-Cooper
