Benedict Sheehan A Christmas Carol

for narrator, SATB soloists, and SATB choir unaccompanied, with optional bones In this compelling work for narrator, soloists, and choir, Sheehan presents an engaging musical dramatization of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Dickens's text has been artfully abridged by Matthew Guard to facilitate concert performance, and the narration is seamlessly woven into Sheehan's richly diverse score. Suited to performance in a variety of settings, this work sees imaginative arrangements of traditional carols and vibrant and accessible original music combine to bring a familiar festive tale to life.

61 16. A Child Himself

61 16. A Child Himself STAVE 3, Scene 3 Nos Galan adap. and arr. BENEDICT SHEEHAN Suddenly Scrooge found himself in a bright, dry, gleaming room. “Ha, ha!” laughed Scrooge’s nephew. “Ha, ha, ha!” There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour. When Scrooge’s nephew laughed in this way: holding his sides, rolling his head, Scrooge’s niece laughed as heartily as he. And their assembled friends roared out lustily. [CHOIR BEGINS] “Ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha, ha!” “He said that Christmas was a humbug, as I live!” [ON A ] cried Scrooge’s nephew. “He believed it too!” [ON B ] “More shame for him, Fred!” [ON C ] said Scrooge’s niece, indignantly. SOPRANO ALTO Bright and festive, with a playful swing q = 144 (ŒÂ = Œ Ç‰) SOLOP A B # & 4 U œ œ œ œ ˙ ∑ U ∑ ∑ U œ œ œ œ ˙ ∑ C ∑ U ∑ U TENOR BASS SOLO Fa la la la la! ? # 4 ∑ u for online perusal only ∑ SOLO SOLO P œ œ œ œ ˙ u Fa la la la la! ∑ Fa la la la la! ∑ u j œ Ó Œ ‰ œ J La - œ - œ Œ Œ - œ- la la ˙ ˙ u la! Ó D TUTTI Fa 9 # Ó P . & ˙ œ ˙ P TUTTI Fa ? # [CORO TACET] “He’s a comical old fellow, that’s the truth: and not so pleasant as he might be. However, his offences carry their own punishment, and I have nothing to say against him. I am sorry for him; I couldn’t be angry with him if I tried. Who suffers by his ill whims! Himself, always.” [CHOIR BEGINS] After tea, they had some music; there was a game at blind-man’s bluff; after a while they played at forfeits; for it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself. la ∑ la j œ la ˙ la ∑ la ˙ la la ˙ la la ˙ œ œ œ œ la la la la ∑ la ˙ la la, ˙ la, TUTTIP ∑ U ∑ œ œ œ œ ˙ u TUTTI Fa la la la la! U œ œ œ œ ˙ fa la la la la! ∑ E ∑ Ó Œ œ œ p ∑ Fa la They all played, and so did Scrooge; wholly forgetting that his voice made no sound in their ears. rit. Fa la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la 16 Ó p F # & œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la Fa la la la p ∑ Ó ? # ∑ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ó p Fa la la la la la la la la la la la la ˙. ˙ . ‰ F la F ˙. ˙ . F p j œ J la j œ ‰ œ J p j J œ ‰ Œ la j J œ ‰ Œ j œ ‰ Œ J la j œ œ ‰ Œ J ∑ ∑ attacca

62 17. Deck the halls Welsh traditional arr. BENEDICT SHEEHAN SOPRANO # & Bright and festive, with a playful swing q = 144 (ŒÂ = Œ Ç‰) f 4 œ . œ œ J œ 3 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . j œ œ œ œ . ‰ ALTO TENOR # & # V 4 4 Deck the halls with f œ . j œ œ œ Deck the halls with f œ . œ J œ œ boughs of hol - ly, œ œ œ œ œ œ boughs of hol - ly, œ œ œ œ Fa la la la la la œ œ œ œ œ . j œ Fa la la la la la œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ la la la, œ œ œ . la la la, ‰ œ œ œ . ‰ BASS ? # 4 Deck the halls with f œ . œ œ œ J boughs of hol - ly, œ œ œ œ œ œ Fa la la la la la la la œ œ œ œ œ nœ la la la, œ œ œ . ‰ Deck the halls with boughs of hol - ly, Fa la la la la la la la la, # & ? # Bright and festive, with a playful swing q = 144 (ŒÂ = Œ Ç‰) 4 4 . œ . œ f œ . j œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ J œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 3 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . j œœ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ . œ . ‰ œ . œ ‰ # & 5 œ . J œ œ œ 3 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . j œ œ œ . œ ‰ ’Tis the sea - son to be jol - ly, Fa la la la la la la la la. # & œ . j œ œ œ ’Tis the sea - son œ œ œ œ œ œ to be jol - ly, for online perusal only œ œ œ œ œ . j œ Fa la la la la la œ œ œ . la la la. ‰ # V œ . J œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ ‰ ’Tis the sea - son to be jol - ly, Fa la la la la la la la la la la. ? # œ . J œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ . œ ‰ ’Tis the sea - son to be jol - ly, Fa la la la la la la la la. # & . œ . œ j œ œ œ œ 3 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . j œœ œ œ œ . ‰ ? # œ . œ œ œœ J œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ . œ ‰