Christmas and Advent
Be it Christmastime or just before in Advent, look no further. The lists below include sacred and secular (secular titles are my very best arrangements, although much more is available), so there’s something here for a church service as well as a special holiday party. Click on the instrument of your choice below. For a smattering of concert venues, click here. And to book an event, contact me.
Categories:
Hammered Dulcimer Autoharp Choral Music
Hammered Dulcimer for Christmas
This list includes suitable classical music as well. Got a Christmas solo you’d like? Contact me.
Christmas--h dulcimer
| Title | Composer |
|---|---|
| Air ("Water Music Suite") | G. F. Handel |
| An Unnamed Piece | John Dowland |
| Arioso | J.S. Bach |
| Away in a Manger | Away in a Manger |
| Come, All Ye Shepherds | French carol |
| Come, Let's Be Merry | English country-dance tune |
| Concerto No. 1 in A minor, 1st movt. (orig. for violin) | J.S. Bach |
| Concerto No. 1 in C major, all (orig. for mandolin) | A. Vivaldi/arr. L. Reilly |
| Flute Clock Sonata, Set II, no. 2 | G. F. Handel |
| Go Tell It on the Mountain (w piano; see also...) | Spiritual |
| Good King Wenceslas | English |
| Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas | H. Martin & R. Blane |
| In the Bleak Midwinter (plucked) | Gustav Holst |
| In dulci jubilo | German |
| Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (with additional instrumentation) | J.S. Bach |
| Jingle Bells | J. Pierpont |
| Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! | Sammy Cahn |
| Minuet in G | J. S. Bach |
| Noel Nouvelet | French carol |
| O, Christmas Tree | German |
| O Come, All Ye Faithful (plucked) | Adeste Fideles |
| O Come, O Come Emmanuel | Plainsong |
| O Sanctissima | Mariner's Hymn |
| The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers | Leon Jessl |
| Pastorale Symphony ("Messiah") | G. F. Handel |
| Prelude, Allemande, Courante (from Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007) | J.S. Bach |
| Ronde/Hupfauf (1556) | Tielman Susato |
| Sarabande | Arcangelo Corelli |
| Silent Night | Franz Gruber |
| Simple Gifts | Shaker hymn |
| Waltz of the Toys | French-Canadian |
| What Child is This? | Greensleeves |
| White Christmas | Irving Berlin |
diatonic autoharp for Christmas
This list includes suitable classical music, too. Got a Christmas solo you’d like? Contact me.
| Title | Composer |
|---|---|
| Am Buaichaille Ban (The Fair Shepherd) | Scottish |
| The Carillon of Sneek | Dutch |
| Ding! Dong! Merrily on High | 16th cent. French |
| I Saw Three Ships (great for family service!) | English traditional tune |
| Jingle Bells | J. Pierpont |
| Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (communion) | Picardy |
| Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending | Helmsley |
| Minuet in G (another one, by...) | J.S. Bach |
| O Jesu Sweet | J.S. Bach |
| Once in Royal David's City | Irby |
| O’Carolan’s Concerto | T. O’Carolan |
| Silent Night | Franz Gruber |
| Silver Bells | Jay Livingston and Ray Evans |
| Wassail! Wassail, All over the Town | Gloucestershire Carol |
Choral Works for Christmas
All of the works below (except for the first title) involve dulcimer or autoharp. Most of the parts were created from the existing score (indicated by “cp”), although some are scored specifically for either instrument. Got something else in mind that’s not on the list but would work well with dulcimer? Contact me. And be sure to go to the Composition page to view sample pages of my own choral works.
| Title | Composer |
|---|---|
| Ave Maria, o autrix vitae (unison voices, cp) | Hildegard von Bingen |
| Angels Visit When We Sing (SATB & organ) | Lucille Reilly, text by Thomas H. Troeger |
| Comfort Ye, My People (SATB, hd) | Psalm 42, arr. Lucille Reilly (Advent) |
| Before the Marvel of This Night (Augsburg 11-2055; SATB, organ, cp) | Carl Schalk (Christmas Eve) |
| Christmas Lullaby (Plymouth MD-500; SA, hd) | Malcolm Dalglish |
| Ding! Dong! Merrily on High (SSA + HD) | 16th cent. French, arr. Lucille Reilly |
| Gesu, Bambino (SSAATTBB, hd) | Pietro Yon, arr. Thomas Edward Morgan |
| Go Tell It on the Mountain (SATB, hd, gtr+opt. bass or piano) this one rocks, as the Athens Choral Society demonstrates right here! | Spiritual, arr. Lucille Reilly |
| I Hear the Prophet Callin' (SATB, cp) | Pepper Choplin (Advent) |
| I Saw Three Ships (Selah #405-264; SATB, hd) | Appalachian carol in 4/4 |
| I Wonder as I Wander (soprano solo + hd) | Appalachian carol, arr. Lucille Reilly |
| Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (+ organ) | J. S. Bach |
| Joy to the World (Hal Leonard #08596517; +organ) | arr. Alice Parker |
| Lo, How a Rose... (Schirmer Octavo #9292; + dulcimer improvisation) | Michael Praetorius |
| A Manger Carol (1-2 voices w/ org.; Flammer B5141; +cp) | Richard Purvis |
| Night of Silence (2-4 part voices, cp) | Daniel Kantor |
| O Come, O Come Emmanuel (2 equal voices+HD) | Plainsong, arr. Lucille Reilly |
| Rise Up, Shepherd (Oolitic 1991) | Malcolm Dalglish |
| Prepare the Way (Advent; SATB, hd) | Swedish tune, arr. Lucille Reilly |
| Prepare the Way (The Sacred Music Press, #10/1202S; cp+ organ) | Swedish tune, arr. Hal Hopson |
| Sanctus (from Deutsche Messe; with E or F diatonic autoharp) | Franz Schubert, arr. Lucille Reilly |
| Simple Gifts (#PCS-162; cp) | arr. Rosemary Heffley |
| Star in the East (Selah 405-316; organ or strings + cp) | David Ashley White |
| Star in the East (Ooolitic; SATB, hd; 3 Appalachian carols) | arr. Malcolm Dalglish |
| Still, Still Night (1995) | Franz Gruber/Jackson Berkey |
| Winter Lullaby (B&H OCTB#6690; SA, hd) | M. Dalglish |