The Holly And The Ivy

Here's a non-traditional arrangement of a traditional Christmas carol as only John can do. The road map is elegant: It starts out gently with piano, bass, and a synth choir sound. Then it starts to build, adding an optional solo (Grace Morgan on our recording), nylon guitar melody, and a low, evolving analog synth. Next come the string section, sleigh bells, and electric guitar solo, and finally the full band with ballad rock drums and our singers. It's beautifully emotional and powerful.

The melody is pretty much as you know it, but there is a simple, catchy (optional) part 2 which is all "fa la la." Consider using a select group for this part, or even a soloist, duo, trio, etc. If you don't use part 2, its motif is covered instrumentally on the recording, just in case.

In the coda, you may notice the words "optional echo" in bar 47. It occurred to us that it might be kind of neat to let a few part 1 singers, or even a soloist, repeat the line from bars 43 through 46 in an echo fashion. We did not do this on the recording, but you certainly could.

Make sure your students sing this carol "long" and not "wide," which is to say, give it a more traditional choral sound, where the mouth is opened more vertically to produce a more rounded tone. It will sound more appropriate and lovely this way.

Candles would be an ideal touch for a performance of this piece. We always think battery powered candles are better as they are safer. (FYI: You can find Kandle Lights™ at MusicK8.com) This would work in a school or church setting. And speaking of which, it should be noted that apart from the "fa la la's," this song has traditional lyrics that are sacred in nature. Many schools may be able to perform it with these lyrics on the merits of its historical origins (it dates back to 18th century England). If you find you need to alter the lyrics to use the tune, that's fine. Repeating the first verse (instead of using the second one) at measure 18 may be enough to work in your situation, but you'll have to decide.