Mission on the Housetop

Description

Santa and his elves are on a mission! While everyone sleeps soundly, awaiting Christmas morning, a Christmas mission is happening behind the scenes on housetops all over the world; one that is quite a feat for just one night! The popular Christmas tune “Up on the Housetop” is arranged in a minor mode for a suspicious and sneaky feeling!

Program Notes

For Santa and his elves, Christmas is a logistical nightmare! While everyone is sleeping soundly in their beds, a Christmas mission is happening on housetops all over the world, one that is quite a feat for just one night! “Mission on the Housetop” delves into this debacle, using catchy rhythms, swift dynamic contrasts, varying articulations, and a familiar Christmas tune to show the behind-the-scenes magic on the night before Christmas!

Throughout this piece, the popular Christmas tune “Up on the Housetop” is arranged in a minor mode, leading to a more suspicious and sneaky feel to this Christmas mission! Additionally, active Percussion writing and engaging syncopations in the low voices help to establish a catchy groove. The piece contrasts this with warm lyrical writing, as seen at M.19, and furthers the original melody with engaging counterlines, like with the Horns and Saxophones at M.49. As the piece comes to an end, it feigns a quiet ending, but instead ends with one final surprise chord from the whole band!

I hope you enjoy this catchy Christmas mission in “Mission on the Housetop!”