It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (flex)
Meredith Willson (arr. Michael Brown)
General Info
Year: 1951 / 1979 / 2019
Duration: c. 2:35
Difficulty: II (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Song
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $55.00; (digital) - $55.00 | Score Only (print) - $5.00
Instrumentation (Flexible)
Full Score
Part 1
- Flute
- Oboe
- B-flat Soprano Clarinet
- B-flat Trumpet
- Violin
Part 2
- B-flat Soprano Clarinet
- E-flat Alto Saxophone
- B-flat Trumpet
- Violin
Part 3
- B-flat Soprano Clarinet
- E-flat Alto Clarinet
- E-flat Alto Saxophone
- B-flat Tenor Saxophone
- Horn in F
- Violin
- Viola
Part 4
- Bassoon
- B-flat Tenor Saxophone
- Trombone
- Euphonium
- Horn in F
- Cello
Part 5
- Bassoon
- B-flat Bass Clarinet
- E-flat Baritone Saxophone
- Trombone
- Euphonium
- Tuba
- String Bass
- Electric Bass
- Cello
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III, including:
- Bells
- Cabasa
- Chimes
- Crash Cymbals
- Drum Set
- Suspended Cymbal
- Temple Blocks
- Triangle
- Wood Block
- Xylophone
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Perfect for light holiday or winter concerts, this appealing song is set in a fun, medium swing style. Carefully scored, it can be performed by bands of all sizes and instrumentations.
- Program Note from publisher
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas is a Christmas song written in 1951 by Meredith Willson.
A popular belief in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, holds that Willson wrote the song while staying in Yarmouth's Grand Hotel. The song makes reference to a "tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well..."; the park being Frost Park, directly across the road from the Grand Hotel. It also makes mention of the five and ten which was a store operating in Yarmouth at the time.
It is also possible that the "Grand Hotel" Willson mentions in the song was inspired by the Historic Park Inn Hotel in his hometown of Mason City, Iowa. The Park Inn Hotel is the last remaining hotel in the world designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and is situated in downtown Mason City overlooking central park.
The song has been recorded by many artists, but was a hit for Perry Como and The Fontane Sisters.
- Program Note from Wikipedia
Performance Notes
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
Works for Winds by This Composer
Adaptable Music
- It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Brown) (1951/1979/2019)
All Wind Works
- 76 Trombones (arr. Iwai) (1957/1992)
- 76 Trombones (arr Cable) (arr. Cable) (1957/)
- 76 Trombones (arr. Anderson, adapt. Bocook) (1997)
- It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (arr. Moss) (1951/2004)
- It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Brown) (1951/1979/2019)
- May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You (arr. Leidzen) (1950/1951)
- The Music Man (arr. Buckley) (1957/2002)
- The Music Man: Highlights (arr. Reed) (1957/1959)
- Selections from "The Music Man" (arr. Lang) (1957/1958)
- Selections from "The Music Man" (arr. Vinson) (1957/2000)
- Unsinkable Molly Brown, The: I Ain't Down Yet (arr. Yoder) (1961)
Resources
- It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Wikipedia Accessed 15 December 2019
- Perusal score