Quest Of The Three Kings

When you first hear this new recorder feature, you may think you've stumbled onto a soundtrack from a forgotten Cecil B. DeMille sand and sandals epic. But, no, we are just trying to set the mood for one of our favorite carols, one that demands to have an atmospheric arrangement.

"We Three Kings Of Orient Are" is actually an American carol, written in the 1850s by John H. Hopkins, Jr., an Episcopal priest and musician who wrote this carol and others for his students at General Theological Seminary in New York.

Our arrangement is set for full orchestra with three recorder parts. You will find two sopranos and one alto. The first soprano part stays close to the melody while the second optional part requires only G, A, and B. The alto part is suitable for a beginning alto player, and, as with many of our multi-recorder works, this arrangement can be played with any combination of parts, including just the BAG part.

For your performance you may want to consider adding a simple hand drum part and/or a part for small triangle or finger cymbals. To follow along with the piano/vocal score, you can download it from our web site for free.