Betelehemu (arr. Michael Brown): Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
Arranged by Michael Brown
Grade: 2
Item: 35-PK01458451
$65.00
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Description
Add an international flavor to your next winter concert with Michael Brown's inventive setting of this Nigerian Christmas song. The piece opens with a beautiful slow melody accompanied by an underlying rhythmic pulse. The second half is an exuberant celebration in a faster tempo complete with African drumming and joyous full band refrains.
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK01458451
More about this title
Why we love this
Brown's arrangement captures the infectious joy of a Nigerian celebration while keeping the technical demands well within reach for a developing band. The structural clarity between the contemplative opening and the propulsive second half gives students a genuine interpretive challenge without requiring advanced facility. It's the kind of piece that sounds far more sophisticated than its Grade 2 rating suggests, which audiences love and students remember long after the concert.
What to expect
The piece opens with quiet dignity, allowing listeners to hear the beauty in a simple melody before gradually building anticipation. Once the tempo quickens, the energy becomes irresistible: rhythmic precision mixes with joyful abandon, creating the feeling of stepping into a celebration where restraint has no place.
Who it's for
Concert bands at the Grade 2 level who want to program something with genuine cultural substance and contemporary arranging without sacrificing accessibility. It works equally well for ensembles building confidence with faster tempos and those seeking repertoire that extends beyond traditional holiday fare.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the opening melody with the accompanying rhythmic pulse so neither overwhelms the other. The song's lyrical quality depends on hearing both layers distinctly.
- Shape the transition into the faster section deliberately. This shift should feel earned, not abrupt, so a slight ritardando before the tempo change helps the ensemble stay together.
- Let the African drumming create genuine rhythmic drive in the second half rather than treating it as accompaniment. Conversations between the percussion and the melodic sections give the refrains their celebratory energy.
- Bring out dynamic contrast in the full band passages. The excitement comes from commitment to the forte markings, not timidity about volume in ensemble playing.
How to use it
This works beautifully as a winter concert opener that establishes a global perspective on holiday music, or as the final piece before intermission when you want to send the audience out energized. Pair it with other folk arrangements or holiday selections to create a thematic concert half that explores how different cultures celebrate the season.
Skills your students will build
- Balancing melody and accompaniment in ensemble texture
- Executing smooth tempo transitions
- Sustaining rhythmic precision in syncopated passages
- Dynamic contrast and shaping within larger formal sections
- Cultural awareness through performance of non-Western musical traditions