Product Description
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSx1esb0D0w
Mariah Carey released this critically acclaimed song in 1994 and it has remained a popular snowy-season Christmas standard ever since. I originally arranged it for Voice with Quartet accompaniment in F, with my daughter, Alice Rose Wild, who sings on the live recording. You can hear our recording of the whole song on my channel if you type in Skinny Black Dogs, Capriccio Quartet, All I want for Christmas into Youtube. More recently I have created this version for String Quartet in the key of G. At the moment I have only the Sibelius computer score, and hope to record it with Capriccio Quartet once the covid pandemic is at an end. Suspend your disbelief!
Why choose my Arrangement?
The arrangement is in a great key for strings and most of the double stopping includes an open string. In one or two places the double stopping is a bit more tricky, so for younger players it would be better perhaps to miss out one of the notes, or to play them consecutively.
The Intro.
For the first violinist I include two versions of the intro and recommend that the quartet listen to the original, or to Alices recording for speed and performance tips. It is quite difficult to get the computer to do it musically, so the video intro is only intended as a rough guide. One of the enclosed options is intended as a rehearsal version, and has the lyrics to help. I have bowed it to include lots of downbows, and recovery of bows, which will help the other members to follow. The tricky sextuplet and triplet ornament at bar 10 can be omitted altogether. Simply pause on the C and then recover the downbow for the next bar.
I also include two versions of the violin two and viola parts. One is on two pages as a smaller font, and one on three pages with a larger font.
For cellists who are a bit daunted by the solo at letter A , simply play the fourth position semi breve Gs at bar 12 and at bars 13 and 14 too, and revert to the original score at bar 15. ie Six semibreve Gs. Perhaps a harmonic D at bar 15 would be easier than a shift at this point, and then join in unison with the rest of the band.
The song moves between a straight crotchet pulse and lots of syncopated lines. This will be difficult to read on paper, but I always recommend listening to the song many times and then doing it by ear, using the notes on the page as a guide. Try not to play them too literally.
Printouts
Pages 1 - 10 are for Look Inside Options only.
Pages 11 - 28 includes all Parts
Page 29 onwards is the optional Score for rehearsals.
The vocal version is proving popular, but for a standard quartet Wedding and Events repertoire I hope that people will enjoy this arrangement. Send me recordings on facebook, even if they are phone rehearsals. I love to hear them, and to make contact with quartets around the world!
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.