Merry Cello!
What is December without music?
This is the time of year with the most songs related to it. I have made short arrangements of 15 of these songs, varying in degrees of technical difficulty. Typically, the accompaniment part is the easiest to play while the melody is more challenging.
My relationship to christianity is not very friendly but I nevertheless have a sweet spot for all the music that we associate with this season. However, there are more songs here to do with santa and snow than about baby Jesus. And I frequently prefer to write xmas rather than christmas, where ‘x’ is the unknown and can stand for whatever we want it to stand for… In my language, Norwegian, the word for christmas is still ‘jul’ which is from pre-christian times when the celebration had to do with the winter solstice. But anyway, let’s get on with it! Music!
In my online course I have play-along videos and sheet music to download.
1 - I’ll be home for xmas
The Advent Calendar starts with I’ll Be Home For Christmas. Written by Kim Gannon (lyrics) and Walter Kent (music) and first recorded in 1943 with Bing Crosby.
2 - Left-hand pizz
To prepare for the next song’s technical challenges I made a short video about left-hand pizzicato. It’s a great technique to practice since it improves your overall articulation.
3 - White xmas
White Christmas by Irving Berlin - here in an arrangement based on the version by Elvis Presley. The song was however first performed by Bing Crosby in the 1942 musical film ‘Holiday Inn’.
4 - Pizzed harmonics
To prepare for tomorrow’s song I made this short tutorial on harmonics played pizzicato! It’s a delightful world of sound to get yourself into…
5 - It’s beginning to look a lot like xmas
Written by Meredith Willson in 1951, originally titled ‘It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas’.
6 - Fifths
It comes up sooner or later - playing 5ths that are not just two open strings but requires you to press two strings down with the same finger. It takes time getting used to but you can do it!
7 - Jingle bells
Even the songs you’ve heard countless times can be surprisingly fun to play on the cello. Written in 1850 by James Lord Pierpont and first recorded in 1889! This recording is unfortunately lost but a recording from 1898 survives.
8 - Bass lines
A very short introduction into the world of music arranging. The songs I’ve prepared for this season consist of accompaniment parts that are quite similar to each other. Xmas songs have typically very simple chord progressions, and to fill a bar with e.g. the chord of C-major I’ve written Cs and Gs in rhythmical patterns. The music excerpts are from tomorrow’s song…
9 - Here comes Santa Claus
Are you up for another dash of American vibes? I have evidently been severely affected by having listened a lot to Elvis and Ella Fitzgerald. However, this song was first released in 1947 with the songwriter Gene Autry. The music was composed by Oakley Haldeman.
10 - Low first finger
So basic, yet so hard to get comfortable with! Or maybe it’s just me…?
11 - Jingle bell rock
It’s time to really get comfy with that swing rhythm! I love this song. First released in 1957 by Bobby Helms. (The authorship of the song is disputed, you can read up on it on wikipedia if you like.)
12 - Let it snow
It was snowing properly as I was editing the video for this song! However, the song was written in 1945 during a heat wave in California, by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne. Originally its title was ‘Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!’
13 - Blue xmas
“I’ll have a blue christmas without you…” Not all the songs are jingle jangle on sugar and caffeine, some songs are a little more melancholic and it’s nice to have a variety of vibes to choose from.
Blue Christmas was written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson, first recorded by Doye O’Dell in 1948.
14 - Stretching
Merry cello technique! This time about the basics of stretching. The more I teach, the less I approve of the word 'stretching'. I find it more suitable to say reaching. It's just not very catchy yet.
15 - When you wish upon a star
Not really a xmas song, although it has become that for many of us in the Nordics where the song is featured in Disney’s Christmas special ‘From All of Us to All of You.’ every year. I don’t mind!
16 - Swing rhythm
Swing rhythm? Yes, that's the sound of American xmas tunes. Think of some well-known European tunes and you can probably sing them with straight eighthnotes.
The American ones however are more jazzy-sounding. I hope this little video does its job at explaining why my arrangements look so different from each other in rhythmic notation.
17 - Winter wonderland
Just lovely! Composed by Felix Bernard in 1934.
18 - Gläns över sjö och strand
I hadn't heard this beautiful song until I moved to Sweden a few years ago.
Composed by Alice Tegnér and published in 1893, to a poem by Viktor Rydberg.
This is an arrangement for one cello and it's technically more challenging than the previous tunes.
19 - Deck the halls!
This joyous tune has been with us since the 16th century!
It's very short (impossible to play through only once!) but its strength regarding its musical association to this holiday season has kept it alive and popular until today.
20 - Trills
The last little bit of technique time-out, this one is about the prominent technique of tomorrow's video: trills.
21 - Silent night
This is a trill version for one cello of one of our most beloved xmas songs. Composed in 1818 by Franz Gruber, 'Stille Nacht' takes most of us straight back to our childhoods.
22 - Santa claus is coming to town
Having listened quite a bit to Ella Fitzgerald I had to include this song in the calendar!
Made by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. First recorded by Harry Reser and His Band in 1934.
23 - Es ist ein ros entsprungen
This song has always brought me a feeling of grounding in the midst of all the reindeer and snowmen.
Michael Praetorius made the music that we know today, already in the very early 17th century.
This is my version for one cello, technically more challenging than the duo arrangements.
24 - Have yourself a merry little xmas
This is it - we made it once more to the point where the days will be getting lighter and warmer.
Composed in 1943 by Hugh Martin and introduced to the world by Judy Garland in 1944.
