A Merry Round: 2-Part Choral Octavo
Traditional English Round / arr., with new words, by Russell Robinson
Item: 00-PO-0006628
$2.05
Minimum order quantity: 20 copies
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Description
Here's a cheerful traditional English round with a stately gait that is well suited for concert or festival use. As this classical-sounding arrangement progresses, we modulate up with each verse and trade leadership on the canon. The final verse adds a buoyant descant above two previously sung voice parts, leaving only a four-bar ending to rehearse. A handful of optional lyrics allow you to adapt the general text for holiday programs.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Choral Designs
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
12
SKU:
00-PO-0006628
More about this title
About the Arranger: Russell Robinson
Russell Robinson served as Emeritus Professor of Music Education at the University of Florida and built an international reputation through hundreds of conducting and consulting appearances at festivals, workshops, and conferences across six continents. His professional platforms included major venues from Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center, and he held leadership roles including Past President of the Florida Music Educators Association and National Collegiate Chair for NAfME.
Robinson's creative output spans over 500 published works in choral music, arrangements, instructional materials, and scholarly writing. His recognition includes induction into the FMEA Hall of Fame and service as Associate Dean of the UF College of the Arts, reflecting a career dedicated to advancing choral practice through both performance and education.
Why we love this
Robinson's arrangement respects the round's traditional bones while engineering genuine musical architecture through key changes and shifting leadership. The optional lyrics give your choir flexibility to program this for December concerts or spring festivals without awkward thematic forcing, and the descant entrance in the final verse rewards rehearsal investment with a moment that feels both surprising and inevitable.
What to expect
Stately yet spirited, like watching a traditional procession gradually brighten and lift. The successive key changes create gentle momentum, and when that descant arrives, the familiar tune suddenly feels illuminated from above.
Who it's for
Small to mid-sized choirs with mixed-age or developing singers who need accessible repertoire with real musical substance. The 2-part texture and 12-page format make it manageable for high school, community, and adult choirs looking for thoughtful secular concert material.
How to get the most out of it
- Establish the stately character from your first entrance; this round sits comfortably between ponderous and processional. Let the tempo breathe slightly on longer note values to avoid a rigid feel.
- Mark the modulation points clearly in your score so singers hear and anticipate the key shift rather than stumble into it. A quick prep beat before each modulation helps.
- When the descant joins in the final verse, position those singers where both lower voice parts can hear them clearly. The descant works as a brightening overlay, not an independent melody.
- Rehearse the four-bar ending separately; its brevity makes it easy to either drag or rush. Treat it as a moment of arrival, not an afterthought.
How to use it
Program this as a winter concert opener to set a refined, festive tone without seasonal heaviness, or use it on a spring concert celebrating choral traditions. The optional text variants make it flexible enough to anchor either a holiday program or a general concert, and its moderate length gives you breathing room in your concert architecture.
Skills your students will build
- Singing canon and round structure with staggered entries
- Following ascending key modulation by ear and sight
- Blending with a descant line while maintaining independent voice part integrity
- Ensemble balance when leadership shifts between voice parts