Christmas Comes Again... in About Three Minutes: Full Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts
Traditional / arr. Mark Weston, transcr. and scored by Douglas E. Wagner
Grade: 2.5
Item: 00-PK-0001009
$59.00
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Description
Eighteen instantly recognizable tunes of the season are packed into this brilliantly conceived medley, sure to delight your December audiences. Familiar carols and instrumental favorites come together in a seamless scoring that utilizes moderate ranges and accessible rhythms. Variety and color abound with the mood changing every four to eight measures, and as is the case with this series, the work may be effectively performed by string as well as full orchestras.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Christmas Comes Again... in About Three Minutes: Full Orchestra 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:
Belwin Intermediate String/Full Orchestra
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
180
SKU:
00-PK-0001009
More about this title
Why we love this
This medley solves the December programming puzzle without sacrificing musical substance. The arrangement respects young players' abilities while delivering genuine variety; moods shift every few measures, keeping both performers and audiences engaged rather than exhausted by a single-mood carol collection. The flexibility to perform it with strings alone or full orchestra makes it genuinely useful for multiple ensemble configurations.
What to expect
A skillfully paced journey through the season's most beloved melodies. Eighteen recognizable tunes unfold in rapid succession with enough instrumental color and rhythmic accessibility to feel fresh rather than rushed, creating genuine festive energy without demanding virtuosic technique.
Who it's for
Conductors leading Grade 2.5 full orchestras or string orchestras who need efficient, crowd-pleasing December repertoire. This works equally well for winter concerts at schools, community ensembles, and youth orchestras where variety and accessibility matter as much as musical substance.
How to get the most out of it
- Establish clear transitions between carols during rehearsal. Though each section is brief, marking the mood changes in parts ensures the ensemble doesn't lag during modulations.
- Balance your texture strategically across the medley's 18 tunes. With such rapid variety, highlighting different instrumental families in successive carols creates fresh color without requiring dramatic changes in overall dynamic.
- Lock the tempo map early. A three-minute medley demands confidence at transitions; rehearse the conductor score thoroughly so you can shape each carol's character without losing momentum.
How to use it
Close a holiday concert with this piece to send audiences out cheerful and satisfied. Its moderate length makes it ideal as an opener or closer when you need to frame other seasonal repertoire, and the pure familiarity of the tunes invites family and community members to listen actively.
Skills your students will build
- Reading rapid key changes and modulations
- Executing clean, coordinated section transitions at tempo
- Balancing ensemble texture within short phrase structures
- Sustaining rhythmic precision through varied instrumental doublings
- Responding to frequent mood shifts and stylistic contrasts