Good King Wenceslas

What a festive way to let your recorder players celebrate the season and really shine with rich instrumental tracks accompanying them. The orchestra features a large brass section, with four trumpets, two horns, two tenor trombones, two bass trombones, and a tuba. Add to that strings and percussion including snare drums, cymbals, and multiple timpani.

As written, the arrangement calls for players to use only the notes G, A, B, C, and D, and they never play rhythms more complex than a stately quarter note. (Bars 4 and 6 can be played as whole notes.) You will note that at bars 17 and 23 the players play a line compatible with the melody rather than the melody itself. If you have some players who are more advanced, feel free to let them play the actual melody.

For the long notes at the end, practice sustaining them as long as possible before reattacking. This will not only help their breath control, it will also give the end of the work a smoother, more connected sound, free of the gasps that often occur with such passages.