Product Description
Clarinet Quartet - 3 x Bb Clarinets, Bass Clarinet
O Holy Night (Cantique de Noël) is one of the most popular Christmas Carols and has been for 170 years. This lovely arrangement for clarinet quartet remains faithful to the original Cantique de Noël, with its simple charm and understated passion. The only addition is a repeat of the final chorus (bars 27 to 30) which provides a more sustained climax to this instrumental version.
The âCantique de Noëlâ is a French Christmas Carol whose title translates as âChristmas Songâ or âChristmas Hymnâ, but it is better known in the English speaking world as âO Holy Nightâ. The original French words were written in 1843 by poet, lawyer and wine-merchant Placide Cappeau, although they were attributed to a Mary Cappeau in the 1852 edition. Adolphe Adam set the words to music in 1847 and it remains one of his best known works, alongside his ballet music for Giselle. The English words were written by the Unitarian Minister John Sullivan Dwight in 1855.
Other than telling the story of the Virgin birth and redemption for mankind, the English words bear little relationship to the original French. They are new lyrics rather than a translation. There are no "stars [that] are brightly shining" in the original French version which, instead, begins "Midnight, Christians, it is the solemn hour when God the man came down for us".
The carol remains popular in both language versions.
Duration 2' 30"
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.