Christmas Suite
for Chamber Orchestra and optional Sing-a-Long
2019
approx. duration 18 minutes
Instrumentation
2 Flutes/Picc
Oboe
2 Clarinets/Bs Clar
Bassoon
Trumpet
2 Horns
2 percussion*
Harp
Piano
Organ (opt.)
Solo Voice**
Violin 1
Violin 2
Viola
Cello
Bass
*timpani is included in this count, and is only used in The Twelve Days of Christmas
**for Silent Night only; may be done as a sing-a-long or with a solo instrument (like trumpet) if desired.
Movements
Each movement is a stand-alone piece and may be performed without the other works or with other works in between. In addition, the order of these movements is also flexible.
Jingle Bells [2.5 min]
O Christmas Tree [2 min]
Silent Night - for strings and vocal soloist [5 min]
The Twelve Days of Christmas [6 min]
We Wish You a Merry Christmas [2.5 min]
Notes
This Christmas Suite was commissioned by the Spartanburg Philharmonic and premiered on December 14, 2019. The concert featured a showing of The Snowman with live musical accompaniment - a score that calls for a small chamber orchestra. Finding very few arrangements of holiday music for such a small orchestra, Peter created four new arrangements. Silent Night was written the following year and was first performed along with the original four in the Philharmonic’s socially-distanced “Burg Bound: A Stay-at-Home Holiday Concert” (Nov. 2020). Silent Night was written for singer Simone Mack-Orr who performed the premiere.
Note: Because of the 2020 pandemic, Peter also arranged Gustav Holst’s Christmas Day that removed the chorus and solo vocal parts. Using the same instrumentation (plus organ), the piece works well in this Christmas Suite between Silent Night and The Twelve Days of Christmas. It is included in the sheet music download.
Listen
Watch
2019 Performance