Le Douze Decembre: Christmas Cotillion (arr. Dion Morales): String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

This arrangement brings accessible 18th-century social music into the modern string orchestra, offering your students something genuinely different from typical holiday fare. Morales's orchestration maintains the elegance of Sancho's keyboard original while creating an engaging Grade 1 piece that sounds mature and purposeful rather than simplified. The built-in choreography opens possibilities for cross-curricular collaboration or a concert presentation that moves beyond traditional seated performance.

Elegant and lively, with the refined charm of a Georgian ballroom. The piece moves with graceful momentum, inviting the listener into a social world of structured yet joyful movement. There is lightness throughout, never heavy or overly sentimental, which gives it a fresh quality that holiday audiences will appreciate.

String orchestras at the early intermediate level seeking quality holiday repertoire that goes beyond the usual suspects. Directors working with Grade 1 ensembles want pieces that sound polished and purposeful; this arrangement delivers exactly that while introducing students to a fascinating historical composer.

• Emphasize the clarity of the two contrasting dance sections. The alternation between allemande and chasse gestures should come through in your articulation and phrasing; use subtle dynamic shaping to distinguish the groups' material.
• Balance the string parts carefully so neither melody nor accompaniment dominates. At Grade 1, students often struggle with textural balance; mark your parts to show which voices carry the primary line in each section.
• Keep the tempo steady and dance-like. This piece requires rhythmic precision without rushing; a consistent pulse will help younger players lock in together.
• Consider staging the choreography mentioned in the program notes as an educational or concert feature. Even a simple representation of the trade-off between groups adds visual interest and deepens students' understanding of the piece's original context.

Include this in a December concert that explores how different cultures and historical periods have celebrated the season. It pairs naturally with other dances or with instrumental pieces from the Baroque and Classical periods. The choreographic element also makes it a strong choice for a thematic concert about music and movement, or for educational demonstrations about how musicians once performed.

• Sustaining steady pulse in a dance context
• Balancing melody and accompaniment across multiple string parts
• Executing Baroque articulation and ornamentation appropriate to 18th-century style
• Responding to clear sectional structure and phrasing
• Coordinating ensemble entrances and transitions between contrasting musical ideas