At the Feast of Stephen Cover Image

At the Feast of Stephen: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

$52.00 USD
$52.00 USD
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At the Feast of Stephen Cover Image
At the Feast of Stephen: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

At the Feast of Stephen: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Traditional / arr. Scott Watson

Grade: 1 (Very Easy)

Item: 00-31699
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Description
This novel setting of the traditional carol "Good King Wenceslas" will musically transport you and your students to the royal Christmas banquet hall of a medieval king!

The old carol tells the story of a legendary 10th-century monarch, Duke Wenceslas of Bohemia, who went out in the severe cold to give charity to the poor on December 26, also known as St. Stephens Day. The well-known 13th-century carol tune, as well as additional original material in period style, vividly conjures a lively celebration of Christmas in the high Middle Ages.

Come now ye lords and ladies to the Feast of Stephen and upon your instruments faire make most merry this Yuletide! (2:31) This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, At the Feast of Stephen: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

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Additional Details
Series: Alfred Debut Series
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 118
UPC: 038081341699
SKU: 00-31699

More about this title

About the Composer: Scott Watson

Scott Watson

Scott Watson holds the position of Associate Professor of Music at Cairn University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. Before joining the faculty, he spent 35 years as an instrumental and elective music teacher in the Parkland School District near Allentown, serving first as high school Director of Bands and later as coordinator of the elementary band and strings program across the district.

Watson has emerged as an award-winning composer whose catalog exceeds 120 published works for concert band, string orchestra, and chamber ensembles spanning all difficulty levels. His compositional voice draws strength from dual influences: the rigor of contemporary concert art music and the practical demands of the school band world. His works have received performances at major venues including the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, and the White House. Watson serves as exclusive composer and clinician for Alfred Publications, contributes to their Sound Innovations series, and authored the music education text Using Technology to Unlock Musical Creativity (Oxford University Press, 2011). He regularly presents clinics and guest conducts honor and festival ensembles.

Why we love this

Watson captures the sensory richness of a medieval Christmas court without sacrificing the musical accessibility that Grade 1 bands need. The setting honors the familiar carol melody while surrounding it with original period-inflected material that sounds far more sophisticated than the Grade 1 label suggests, giving young musicians genuine material to sink their teeth into rather than simplified leftovers.

What to expect

A gilded doorway into a medieval banquet hall where tradition and celebration collide with instrumental warmth. The familiar melody glows against Watson's original accompaniment and supporting material, evoking candlelit revelers and the joyful generosity at the heart of the carol's story.

Who it's for

Grade 1 concert bands encountering the carol "Good King Wenceslas" for the first time, as well as developing ensembles seeking accessible holiday literature with genuine musical substance. Directors programming early winter concerts will find a piece that appeals equally to performers and audiences without condescending to either.

How to get the most out of it

  • Encourage the front ensemble to shape phrases with a sense of courtly dignity; even at a brisk tempo, the character should feel grand rather than rushed.
  • Balance the carol melody carefully when it appears in different sections; clarity matters more than volume, especially in the early Grade 1 ranges.
  • Use the recorded accompaniment to lock the ensemble's sense of pulse and phrasing, then gradually move away from it in rehearsal to build confidence.
  • Pay attention to the original material framing the familiar tune; these passages set the festive medieval atmosphere and deserve as much stylistic attention as the main melody itself.

How to use it

This work anchors a winter concert's second half, offering a tonal shift from more abstract concert openers while honoring the Advent/Christmas season without overshadowing it. Pair it with another Grade 1 selection or a contrasting arrangement to build a cohesive holiday programming arc that celebrates both the traditional and the newly composed.

Skills your students will build

  • Balanced voicing across woodwind, brass, and percussion sections
  • Stylistic phrasing appropriate to medieval period character
  • Melody recognition and tracking within fuller harmonic textures
  • Ensemble intonation under sustained harmonic motion
  • Reading multi-part concert band scores with clear orchestration

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