Holiday Portraits

Sean O'Loughlin

Traditional (arr. Sean O'Loughlin)

General Info

Year: 2010
Duration: c. 5:30
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Carl Fischer
Cost: Score and Parts - $95.00   |   Score Only - $15.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
F Horn I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion I-II, including:

• Bass Drums
• Bells
• Chimes
• Crash Cymbals
• Mark Tree
• Snare Drum
• Suspended Cymbal
• Tam-Tam
• Tambourine
• Triangle
• Vibraphone
• Whip

Errata

In Score and Parts:

• Tenor Saxophone, m. 148, beat 2: D4 eighth note should be a E4
• Percussion I, Snare Drum, m. 118, beat 4: Add a tremolo on quarter note

Program Notes

If you're looking for a challenging Christmas piece that is well worth the effort, look to this bold medley of holiday favorites. You will hear a potpourri of festive tunes, such as Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Deck the Halls, Good King Wenceslas and O Come All Ye Faithful cleverly woven together with snippets of symphonic music favorites.

- Program Note by publisher

Holiday Portraits is a contemporary arrangement of classic Christmas carols. “With this setting, I imagined several carols weaving in and out of each other to create a fantasy of sounds and melodies. Throughout this journey, I sprinkle in treatments of these carols in the style of some of my most beloved classical composers. Try to spot the tributes to Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Gershwin, Bartók and even Bernstein along the way. The bright and flashy opening is a collection of phrases from O Christmas Tree and O Come All Ye Faithful. Splashes of woodwind and brass colors build up to a treatment of Angels We Have Heard on High. A jovial setting of Deck the Halls follows with a featured duet of piccolo and tuba. After some whirlish woodwinds, the music moves towards a rhythmic setting of Good King Wenceslas. A small dose of Joy to the World transitions the piece into a heroic setting of O Come All Ye Faithful to bring the piece full circle. The joyous opening material returns as a natural ending to a fantastic holiday journey.”

- Program Note by composer

Commercial Discography

None discovered thus far.

Audio Links

• Audio: Reference recording. Ensemble and conductor unknown

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

• Northwestern Michigan College (Traverse City) Concert Band (John Campbell, conductor) - 19 December 2017
• Cuesta Wind Ensemble (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) (Jennifer Martin, conductor) – 13 December 2017 
• Gateway Concert Band (Enumclaw, Wash.) (Jack Prindle, conductor) – 7 December 2015
• North Jersey (Oakland, N.J.) Concert Band (Michael Roth, conductor) – 4 December 2015
• Cox Mill High School (Concord, N.C.) Symphonic Band – December 2013
• San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra (William V. Johnson, conductor) – 11 December 2011

Works for Winds by this Composer

Adaptable Music

• Achilles' Wrath (Flex instrumentation) (2005/2013)
• Amazing Grace (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2012/2014)
• Exhale (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2021)
• Hidden Wonders (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• The Ides of March (Flex instrumentation) (2013/2015)
• Visigoths (Flex instrumentation) (2007/2012)
• Waltz of the Carols (Flex instrumentation) (2020)

All Wind Works

• Achilles' Wrath (Flex instrumentation) (2005/2013)
• Amazing Grace (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2012/2014)
• Ancient Irish Hymn (as arranger) (2006)
• Arrival at Normandy
• Back to the Future (as arranger)
• Beyond the Crest (2018)
• Burst (2008)
• Daedalus' Labyrinth (2014)
• Carol of the Bells (as arranger)
• Commence! (2018)
• Convergence (2017/2019)
• Convergence (Trumpet sextet) (2017)
• Dominion
• Eclipsys
• Elation (2013)
• Enchanted Village (2007)
• Exhale (2018)
• Exhale (Flex instrumentation) (2018/2021)
• Fortitude
• A Gleeful Christmas (as arranger)
• Hawaii Five-O Theme (as arranger)
• Hidden Wonders (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• Highlights from "Frozen" (as arranger) (2013)
• Highlights from "Brave" (as arranger) (2012)
• Holiday Portraits (2010) (as arranger)
• How to Train Your Dragon (as arranger) (2010)
• The Ides of March (2013)
• The Ides of March (Flex instrumentation) (2013/2015)
• I'm Shipping Up to Boston (as arranger)
• Imani (2001)
• Impact (2008)
• Incursion (2018)
• Ironclad
• Jam!
• Journey to Illyria (2018)
• Joy to the Season (2013)
• Jubilant Holiday (2005)
• Legacy
• Mighty Mite (as arranger) (1951/2003/2013)
• Mountains of Mohon
• Mythos
• Omicron
• Path to Victory
• Pulse Pounding (2014)
• Redhawk
• Ruminations
• Soaring (2013)
• Spirals of Light (2007)
• The Star-Spangled Banner (as arranger) (1814/2017)
• Tribal Quest
• Turning Point
• Venture
• Visigoths (Flex instrumentation) (2007/2012)
• Waltz of the Carols (Flex instrumentation) (2020)
• Winds Along the Whippany (2010)

References

• O'Loughlin, S. (2010). Holiday Portraits [score]. Carl Fisher: New York.