High School Choir Director Looking for Manly Christmas Piece/Arrangement
  • Hello, all! New high school choir director. In doing a survey of the men's experiences in choir, one of the things they consistently said they were looking for was a manly piece of music to sing at Christmas time, something maybe not so Austrian-Pastoral as in something that was a bit more heroic.

    If you think you have something that fits that idea, could you write a follow-up below? Thanks! God bless!
  • Is this for liturgy or sacred concert?
    It does make a difference.
    You speak of men - is this for mixed voices or male voices?

  • If mixed voices, Praetorius's Psallite Unigenito is certainly rousing:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z43i-VGBzqs
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,296
    Gaudete Christus est Natus
    Good Christian Men Rejoice
    Thanked by 1Wendi
  • Liam
    Posts: 4,945
    Yes to Personet Hodie.

    Also (some suggestions assume this is for a concert, not worship):

    Adam lay ybounden
    Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
    Fum fum fum
    The Boar's Head Carol (teenagers would have special fun with this, I think)
    The Wexford Carol
    The Sans Day Carol
    O Tannenbaum


    Tangential mention: Cantique de Noel (ONLY IN THE ORIGINAL FRENCH - not the treacly, pitiful, awful English paraphrase under the name of O Holy Night that should be consigned to the dustbin).

  • Spriggo
    Posts: 122
    Torches by John Joubert might be good.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,151
    Yes to The Boar's Head Carol.

    Also, Riu Riu Chiu
  • SalieriSalieri
    Posts: 3,177
    Make We Joy - Wm. Walton
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • Yes, thank you all. It IS for a CONCERT. Does anybody have any arrangements of these for men's voices that you find particularly suitable? My 9th and 10th grade men's choir is GOOD, and they can handle tricky. I know of many of these titles, but I haven't found an arrangement for men's voices that is solid and not the stuff of cheap publishers trying to make a buck for the holiday season.

    God bless!
  • Spriggo
    Posts: 122
    .
  • You could consider Tschesnokov's "Salvation is Created," arranged for men's voices, either in English, or better, in Russian. Here are a few scores I found with a casual Google search:

    http://www.timothyctakach.com/Works/Salvation.html
    http://www.jwpepper.com/117366.item#.VeW7DrSvO0A

    Google "salvation is created ttbb" for more results.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZnLRU9Xmg0
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • Also, Richard Rice's Ecce Nomen Domini. You could check with Richard to see what else he might have.
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,151
    Here is "Riu riu chiu" (public domain), my engraving.
  • Reval
    Posts: 180
    Okay, something that came to mind was "March of the Three Kings". Which I have played too many times in orchestral arrangements - - always sounds pretty macho.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJtAMOIinR4&safe=active
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160
    Well, OP didn't state if his male chorus was at public/parochial school, and I have experience with both, which includes the requisite defense of scriptural texts and allusions.
    That said, Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas" is very manly. If you want guffaws, "I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas" works. If you wanna go the multicultural route, Harry Belefonte style, try "Da Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy." If you want to straddle some lines, "I wonder as I wander" J.J.Niles, or "I heard the bells on Christmas Day." I echo "Personet Hodie" and "Psallite" as gen-u-ine masculine appealing. Camille's "Tollite Hostias" works well with guys as well.
    And, anathema get thee behind me, go to JWPepper.com, start with Roger Emerson TB, TTB, TBB Christmas stuff because Roger was in the middle school trenches for decades and has earned his proceeds.
  • "This Little Babe" (SATB version) from Britten's Ceremony of Carols is pretty masculine in text and tune.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,500
    If I had this group I would jump immediately to Biebl's Ave Maria.


  • Where will this concert take place? Church? Parish Hall? Where?

    >Joubert's Torches is a good suggestion (but it sort of begs for organ accompaniment.
    >For something moderately challenging and utterly thrilling do check into Willaim Mathias' Wassail Carol

  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,704
    I will also suggest Personent Hodie, Did Holst produce an arrangement for men voices?

    Puer Natus in Bethlehem, Alleluia

    And since this is a concert the following Carols...
    Have you got a copy of the Oxford Book of Carols...
    No.5 The Praise of Christmas
    No. 11 God rest you Merry Gentleman
    No.14 Wexford Carol
    No. 19 Boars Head Carol
    No. 24 Sussex Carol
    No 61 Down in yon Forest and the similar No. 184 All Bells in Paradise
    No. 68 The truth from above
    No. 76 Es ist ein Ros
    No. 136 Good King Wenceslas
    No. 180 Adam lay bounden
    No. 197 The Crown of Roses
  • melofluentmelofluent
    Posts: 4,160

    Where will this concert take place? Church? Parish Hall? Where?

    Precisely, MJO. And I reiterate, in order for us to best assist JIF, we need to know if JIF's gig is a public or parochial high school. It matters.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • ..
  • Great questions, all. This is for a private Christian schoolwith a concert in an auditorium, for 9 and 10th grade boys...
  • You could see if there are any TTBB arrangements of "Twas In The Moon of Wintertime."

    Here's one by Andy Hillhouse that looks pretty good: http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/huron-carol-ttbb-sheet-music/19821569
  • Ok, I've held off until now.

    Would one ask for advice on music that is womanly?

  • Noel,

    Our modern society finds such a question obscene. Then again, our modern society finds many things obscene - take, for example, the use of the default pronoun "he" in English-- which must be perpetuated, so it may not be a good measure of anything.
  • Would the question not be more masculine vs. feminine - ironically the soul in relation to the Holy Trinity is feminine - to much politics IMHO and all that jazz.