He is Born, The Holy Child

General Info

Arranger: David Taylor
Publisher: Per-Mus Publications
Series: Sacred Music for Percussion Series
Difficulty: Intermediate
Cost: $20.00

Instrumentation

Player 1: Glockenspiel / Xylophone
Player 2: Chimes / Vibraphone
Player 3: Marimba 1 (share w/Mar 3)
Player 4: Marimba 2 (share w//Mar 4)
Player 5: Marimba 3 (share w/Mar 1)
Player 6: Marimba 4 (share w/Mar 2)
Player 7: Timpani
Player 8: Tambourine
Player 9: Claves
Player 10: Woodblocks (low/high)
Player 11: Snare Drum & 8" Splash Cymbal & mini Chinese Cymbal
Player 12: Drum Set

Description

"He is Born, the Holy Child is based on a 19th-century French carol. Incorporating percussion instruments commonly available in most school music programs, this piece uses a combination of keyboard percussion, timpani, drumset, and accessories. It is playable by either 10 or 12 performers, with flexible scoring indicated by the arranger. The piece begins with a slow introduction in the keyboard percussion, where the original carol melody is presented. From here, a "pop style" rendition is introduced, using the drumset and percussion accessories.

Review

All of the keyboard parts use two-mallet technique exclusively, often with double stops and rolls. However, the tempi (quarter note = 60 and 80) make these parts accessible to high school and lesser advanced college students. All drumset and accessory percussion parts use common duple rhythms, allowing for performance by a wide variety of students. The timpani part has several tuning changes, possibly presenting a moderate level of challenge to younger performers. The accessibility of instruments and reasonable technical demand would make He is Born, the Holy Child an appropriate addition to any high school holiday concert." - Jason Baker