'Tis The Season (Deck The Halls) (arr. Michael John Trotta): 2-Part Choral Octavo

Trotta's arrangement strips the carol down to its essential emotional core while respecting the melody's familiarity. Two-part writing that avoids the clumsy territory some arrangers get stuck in means your singers stay engaged with the music rather than struggling through awkward voice leading.

Inviting and open. The arrangement carries the carol's traditional charm without resorting to cuteness or oversimplification. There's genuine harmonic interest beneath the familiar tune, creating a piece that feels both welcoming to audiences and substantive for singers.

Directors seeking a two-part arrangement that works for mixed ensembles, developing choirs, or any group where simple four-part writing feels either too ambitious or too limiting. This serves equally well in festival settings, small concerts, or as a warmup choice when you need something seasonally relevant but musically purposeful.

• Balance the duet so neither part overwhelms the other; this works best when singers hear themselves as equal partners rather than melody and accompaniment.
• Shape the phrasing across entire phrases rather than stopping at bar lines; let the text and melodic contour guide your interpretation.
• Find the warmth in sustained notes without sacrificing forward momentum. Holiday music often drags when conductors aren't intentional about keeping energy alive.

Pair this with your larger holiday works as a palate cleanser, or program it early in a concert to establish intimacy before moving into bigger choral statements. Its compact footprint (10 pages) makes it ideal for programs where you need reliable, quality repertoire without extensive rehearsal demands.

• Two-part voice independence and blend
• Sustaining energy across longer phrase lines
• Text expression and diction clarity within a familiar context
• Harmonic listening across equal voices