Popular Christmas Memories, Book 2: Piano Book

Bober's arrangements preserve the melodic hooks students recognize while offering genuine harmonic substance. The collection balances familiar holiday repertoire with popular secular songs, giving you flexibility to program outside strict carol traditions without sacrificing that winter concert warmth.

Warm and reflective, like leafing through a scrapbook of holiday moments. The arrangements honor the original melodies while wrapping them in sophisticated yet approachable harmonies that evoke snow-covered scenes and gentle memories.

Intermediate pianists ready to move beyond simplified versions of holiday standards. Students with 2-3 years of study will find authentic harmonic language that rewards careful listening and interpretive choice.

• Shape the lyrical melodies by breathing naturally at phrase endings rather than pushing through to the barline; let the accompaniment texture do the harmonic work.
• Balance the right hand's tune against fuller left-hand voicings by practicing hands separately, then bringing them together at half tempo to find where the melody sits in the texture.
• Tempo flexibility works well here: slight rubato through the end of phrases gives these arrangements their nostalgic quality without becoming sloppy.

Ideal for winter recitals or holiday-themed student showcases where you need variety beyond traditional carols. The nine pieces allow students to program solo numbers at different points in a concert, or pair them thematically around secular versus sacred holiday music.

• Voicing awareness and balance between melody and accompaniment textures
• Pedal control in arrangements with lush harmonic colors
• Interpretive phrasing in lyrical melodic lines
• Reading intermediate harmonic progressions with smooth voice-leading