How many C&Fers are performing Christmas music on whistle this season?
Our worship leader wanted a whistle solo during O Holy Night, but something other than the O Holy Night tune. I played several airs for him and he liked Liam O’Flynn’s, “The Bridge”, but it was in 4/4. So we adapted a weird 6/8 version of the tune which works strangely well between the two O Holy Night verses.
How are you guys using the whistle to spread Christmas cheer this year?
Hi Doug,
Our family performed last Sunday for 750+ people for a special Christmas music presentation where we were one of dozen numbers, and we arranged a celtic version of “What Child is This?” in Emodal without the D# and C#. My wife plays the Burke AL Pro D and everyone was floored when she soared on the song, the intro and the interludes I arranged in between verses! We had two fiddles, a cello and me on the keys. It was a terrific evening and we added the celtic twist with the whistle for the whole program! There have been calls asking us where to get a whistle in time for Christmas! 
We’re taking the whistle carolling this Sunday night with a group around the neighborhood! Should be fun! (I hope my wife’s lips don’t freeze and stick the AL Pro D!! She might end up like Ralphie’s “triple-dog dare” buddy! )
Merry Christmas to All!
–KR
Courtly Music sells a great christmas song book called “The Real Little Ultimate Christmas Fake Book.” It has over 200 christmas songs. It’s really great, but it’s for “C” instruments, a problem for the whistle. Lots of the tunes are in flat keys too.
What it is perfect for is the recorder. I never play Irish Trad on recorder, but for christmas stuff it works a lot better than whistle, IMO.
I kinda promised I’d behave and not inflict my playing on the good people of Deadwood in the middle of winter, even from a wheelchair! DANG! Make a foolish promise and…pft! There goes some good money!
I am accompanying a children’s group in church on Sunday…playing a little descant to one of their songs. I hope I don’t wreck it!
I played “O Come O Come Emmanuel” on the Low D (Burke) last Sunday at Church - I think it’s a haunting tune anyway and particularly so on the low whistle. We’re not doing it this year, but in years past we’ve done the “Cherry Tree Carol” with a whistle solo.
Beth
I went caroling in Barnes-Jewish Hospital,
accompanied by the hospital director,
several physicians, family of patients.
I had to learn a lot of tunes I’ve
never played, e.g. Frosty the Snow Man,
Rudolph, White Christmas, etc. I used
Copeland whistles, mostly, and they
worked well, loud enough above the voices.
(I think whistles work at least as well at
Christmas music as do recorders, but
doubtless that’s fanaticism talking.)
The hospital is huge, we had to walk
long distances playing and singing,
and it was hard not to lose my breath.
Well, since you asked… I’ve been playing a series of Christmas concerts at various churches this month with a singer songwriter from the Pacific NW named Dave Irish. Doing Christas Carols and also Dave’s original music. You can see Dave’s concert schedule and get more info about his recordings at http://www.daveirish.com/
I’m playing whistle at a church service on Sunday morning the 23rd where the band will actually play a medley of reels for the Offeratory (go figure). Being church, we opted to stay away from such secular festive favorites as “The Maid Behind the Bar” and “Tripping Up the Stairs”, though We will also be playing a number of standard Christmas Carols during the service itself, such as Silent Night, Oh Come Emmanuel and Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella.
We have several traditional carols for our Sunday morning service, and will also be having an evening “concert” with many traditional songs. Although I’ll usually play sax for some of our worship, Sunday will be mostly whistle (with harmonica on “Go Tell It On The Mountain.”) Will be doing intros on “O Come Emmanuel” and “What Child is This?” (Whistles fits this music better than sax, in most instances, and also take up considerably less space.)
I just played for the department Christmas party last Thursday. I played a few of the carols from the <a href=http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?topic=1472&forum=1> Christmas Carol Cheat Sheet list I posted a few weeks ago. I also play a half dozen slow airs.
My favorite carols on the low-d are O Come, O Come, Emanual, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Angels We Have Heard on High (Gloria en Excelsis Deo), We Wish You an Merry Christmas (also good on a regular-d) and finally White Christmas. All are slow paced and easy to ornament.
Another employee played before me, some carols and some Shuman on Viola. He cajoled me into playing. This is the second year he’s played; however, by the time I’d gotten my whistle from the office he’d finshed. His viola had filled a mellow background for the party; my strange play had a little bit different effect. To my suprise my Overton Low-d had a bunch of the folks stopping, comming out of their offices, sitting down and just listening.
Although I’d played in sessions, I hadn’t done anything solo in a long time; and, I’d never performed on whistle befor an audience. With fingers and gut shaking, I started with The Black Cat (by Lothlorien) to calm my nerves, and it did the trick for me; I forgot about ‘performing’ and connected to the music. For about an hour I got lost in the music and sharing the heart of each tune. It did my heart good. For me, sharing the heart has always been the true Spirit of Christmas.
Have a joyous holiday and …
Maybe it doesn’t count as christmas music, but I’ll be taking part in a benefit concert tonight for the Clare Autism supportgroup. My eight year old and his fellow concertina students will open the concert, followed by the grown ups like myself, Sean Talty & Eamonn McGivney, Brid Donohue & Bernadette McCarthy, Martin Hayes and a bunch of others, then we’re off to the usual sunday session for the x-mas party, playing the stuff we play all year round. But in festive mood. Plenty of sandwiches and sausages so.
A lot of (young)whistle players go on ‘the Wren’ on Stephen’s day and make a bit of pocketmoney.
[ This Message was edited by: Peter Laban on 2001-12-23 08:34 ]
This morning we played “Joy to the World” (among others). It was one whistle against a tuba, a trombone, a French horn and a piano. Turns out that it balanced pretty well Interesting point, for you Christians - take a look at the words to Joy to the World… it’s really not about Christmas at all. It is more about the second Advent than the first.
A Peaceful Christmas to all,
Erik
one whistle against a tuba, a trombone, a French horn and a piano
That’s one quintet I have never quite imagined! sounds like fun!
With all this holiday performing, I think the whistle is becoming an important contributer to world peace. (or maybe it’s WhOA that’s contributing to the global economic recovery, but at least we’re doing our part.)
We started off the service with O Holy Night with the whistle carrying the whole thing. They really wanted me to belt out that high G on the last verse…thank heavens I managed to sustain it without cracking. Also, What Child Is This, Angels We Have Heard On High, Silent Night, Joyous Christmas, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, and a favorite of the Praise Team is Amazing Grace played and sung to the tune of The House of the Rising Sun. I’m also whistling with the carolers tomorrow afternoon.
Merry Christmas one and all…Blessings all around. Gm
My 8 year old son, Josef, played his first solo this morning during our Children’s Christmas program at church. He played a verse from one of the songs that was supposed to be whistled by the choir. They couldn’t produce much volume so the director asked him to play it on his tin whistle instead. He did beautifully! Many there had never heard or seen a tin whistle before and complimented him on how well he played the “flute thingy”!
Anyway, I was privileged to accompany him on the piano. We considered it a Christmas present to us to be able to play together. I’m sure that he’ll be asked to play again. I’m also sure that his next solo will be on the Laughing Whistle he’ll open on Christmas morning! (Thanks Jessie!)
Merry Christmas to all,
Meg
My favorite Christmas-related songs for whistle:
What Child is This?
Do You Hear What I Hear?
O Come O Come Emmanuel
For You, O Lord, My Soul in Stillness Waits
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent
O Holy Night
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
[ This Message was edited by: DaleWisely on 2001-12-23 22:36 ]
One of our session members hosted a Christmas party at his apartment. Most of the attendees were musicians. (I wouldn’t say for sure that anyone wasn’t.) We played some session tunes, but someone had made song sheets of Christmas tunes and we sang them and played them on the usual session instruments. I suggested The Little Drummer Boy so Joe could accompany on his new bodhran. He did the classic da-da-da-dun, da-da-da-dun rhythm to the tune.
Tony
This morning at church my guitar player/singer/all around music person and I tried something just playing around before service and it sounded great so we’re doing it tomorrow night for Christmas Eve - A whistle duet of “Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming”, myself playing melody on low D and she playing harmony on the high D. She’s never played whistle before but she catches on quick.
And Dale, your list is great - “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” is another wonderful tune, especially on the low whistle.
Beth
A couple of weeks ago I played Christmas music with one of our worship teams at church. I get to do so again tomorrow night, on Christmas eve. We also did an arrangement of “The Wexford Carol”, for choir and orchestra, with three short whistle solos that fit perfectly on a Bb whistle. We get to do that again tomorrow night as well. I also played an arrangement of “Away In A Manger” at church with a friend who plays guitar. Later, at a Christmas party, we played it again along with “Joy To The World” (which I played on an A whistle).
I like a lot of “Oxford Book of Carols” offerings as well as many of the Wassail songs (Gloucestershire, Somerset, etc.). I posted “Shepherd’s Arise” on Clips & Snips. Copeland A with two Scottish smallpipes and a lot of reverb.
Have a wonderful holiday everybody
David
[ This Message was edited by: Feadan on 2001-12-24 12:36 ]