Carol of the Bells
arr. Glen Soans
- SAB & piano
- English
- About 2:10
- Intermediate
The famous bell figure with a fresh sacred English text, a lyrical middle section and an optional descant.
Cover
Look inside: the first pages of the watermarked perusal score. See every page (PDF).
SAB choir & piano
Resonet in laudibus
Eia, Eia! A new setting of the 14th-century Latin carol
Music by G. D. Soans · Words: 14th-century Latin, from Piae Cantiones (1582)
- SAB & piano
- Latin
- About 2:20
- Medium
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Free perusal score (PDF)- Voicing
- SAB choir
- Language
- Latin
- Length
- About 2:20
- Difficulty
- Medium
Listen
Synthesized demo: computer playback, not a choir recording.
About this piece
Let praises resound! The joyful medieval carol from Piae Cantiones gets a bold new setting for SAB choir and piano, for directors who want a Latin Christmas piece with energy, drama and a thrilling finish. Every verse and the refrain are sung, set to completely new music.
A restless piano figure drives the music in 6/8 and never lets up. The tune is passed from part to part; in verse two the baritones carry it while the sopranos float “Christus natus hodie” above. In the refrain, “Eia, eia!” is tossed between the sections, the music lifts a whole step for the last verse, and the choir broadens into a long, ringing E major chord.
- All-new music for a well-loved medieval text, not the traditional Resonet melody
- Every part gets the tune, so all three sections stay engaged
- Two pages of Latin words, translation and pronunciation guide
- Pianist-friendly: the right hand plays a repeating single-note figure
Details
| Voicing | SAB choir |
|---|---|
| Accompaniment | Piano |
| Language | Latin |
| Length | About 2:20 (94 measures) |
| Key | D minor, rising to E minor; ends on E major |
| Metre and tempo | 6/8, With drive, dotted quarter = 84 |
| Range: Soprano | C4–E5 |
| Range: Alto | A3–C5 |
| Range: Baritone | B♭2–D4 |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Score | 11-page PDF |
| Good for | Christmas, Lessons & Carols, Concerts, Church services, School concerts |
| Credits | Music by G. D. Soans · Words: 14th-century Latin, from Piae Cantiones (1582) |
| Publisher | Clefira Publications |
More from Clefira
Gloria (Sing It Round)
G. D. Soans
- SSA & piano
- Latin
- About 4:10
- Easy
One short tune that becomes a round, a second melody in canon, and an optional soaring descant.
Hodie Christus natus est
G. D. Soans
- SAB & piano
- Latin
- About 2:30
- Medium
A driving 6/8 piano riff, staggered entries and a syncopated “al-le-LU-ia” hook.
Sussex Carol
arr. G. D. Soans
- SAB & piano
- English
- About 2:00
Each verse passes the tune to a different voice, and the last verse lifts into G major.