Majesty Of The Season
by Dan Thieman
"Majesty Of The Season" is a joyful piece of music for recorders that easily conjures feelings of the holiday season. The stately orchestral accompaniment provides a wonderful backdrop for recorders to play along with and would be a delightful opener or closer to any holiday concert or program.
The piece is in 3/4 time, and the recorder part is not difficult. Recorders use the pitches D, G, A, B, and C and have mostly quarter notes, half notes, and dotted half notes. There are three sections: ABA. The first A section (measures 1-18) sounds like a cheerful announcement. In contrast, the B section (measures 19-42) is more subdued. Then the A section returns (measures 43-end) with a grand and majestic finish.
Recorders are marked forte for the A sections and mezzo forte for the B section. While dynamic changes are rather difficult for recorders to execute, the accompaniment will help with this, and it is still worth the effort for your players to try.
The piano/recorder score is available online, if you would like to follow along.
Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.