Festive Strings for Solo Instruments: Solo Viola

Martin's gift for arranging lies in knowing what to keep and what to simplify without sacrificing the heart of a melody. These holiday arrangements sit in accessible keys with minimal position shifts, making them genuinely playable for intermediate students while remaining rewarding for stronger players. The collection pairs practical pedagogy with genuine festive warmth, so students perform music they actually care about playing.

Warm, unhurried, and genuinely celebratory. The arrangements honor the singability of Christmas and Chanukah melodies while giving viola students space to shape phrases and express themselves. There's nothing cutesy or reductive here, just honest, straightforward music that feels right to play.

Solo violists preparing recital repertoire, holiday performance programs, or teaching material for intermediate and upper-intermediate students. This collection works equally well for students building confidence in reading and performance or for stronger players looking for reliable, musically sound arrangements to round out a winter concert.

• Shape the familiar melodies as you would sing them; these arrangements benefit from long, connected phrasing rather than note-perfect precision.
• If performing multiple selections in one program, vary your approach to dynamics and tempo to keep the set fresh and prevent everything from sounding alike.
• Use the different keys (Jingle Bells appears in both D and A Major) strategically; programming both versions in sequence creates textural interest without repeating material.

Build a winter recital around several selections from this collection, interspersing them with one or two substantial original works to create a balanced, flowing program. Alternatively, select individual pieces to fill specific slots: Jingle Bells works as an opener or finale, while the hymn-style pieces (Joy to the World, Away in a Manger) anchor a more formal ceremony. Schools using flexible ensemble scoring can assign different instruments to different sections, allowing mixed-level groups to collaborate.

• Reading and performing in accessible keys (D, A, and C major primarily)
• Phrasing and shaping familiar melodic material
• Position awareness and economical shifting
• Sustaining tone across longer lyrical passages
• Ensemble awareness through multi-instrumental compatibility