Music: March - Celebrate the Season!

Composer Dr. Rodney Newton gets into the Christmas spirit by reviewing a 'toe-tapping foot-warmer'.

This march is featured on the album, Christmas in Brass, in a performance by The New York Staff Band (catalogue number SKU 550, available from World of Brass) and will be welcomed as a toe-tapping foot-warmer by bands that have to play Christmas carols in freezing conditions! Andrew Blyth has produced a score in the same fashion as William Gordon (reviewed below) with the two percussion parts marked as optional. However I would say that, at the minimum, side drum and bass drum would be essential, and sleigh bells highly desirable, given the nature of the piece. We are given a hint of Prokofiev's sleigh ride from Lieutenant Kije at the start, followed by allusions to well-known carols and a resounding finish. Stirring stuff!