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NOTES The Little Drummer Boy, by Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati, and Harry Simeone has become a staple of the Christmas season. Little Bolero Boy is a band arrangement of the finale from my "Classical Christmas Suite" which in the short time of three years has become part of the holiday repertory of over twenty major symphony orchestras across the U.S.A. and continues to grow rapidly. The orchestral versionhas been recorded by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops for Telarc.The four movement "Suite" combines favorite Christmas carols with familiar classical masterpieces to produce music in the style of the original composer. So, what if Maurice Ravel had written the Little Drummer Boy instead of his famous Bolero? Now you know! Performance Notes: Little Bolero Boy should take about four minutes to perform. If time is a concern at your concert, you may begin the piece at bar 15 with almost no loss of effectiveness. Solos: The flute at bar 3 and the clarinet at bar 17 should be solos but may be doubled if necessary. If you have good sax players, try making all the sax parts from bars 1-28 first chair solos for as soft a beginning as possible. The solo 2nd and 3rd trumpets from bar 29 to bar 57 may be omitted if they can not be articulated cleanly since they are doubled in the marimba. The french horn solos in bars 43-57 can be omitted, or simplified to straight eighth notes if they can not be articulated cleanly. Rhythms: The piccolo figures in bars 57-58 can be simplified to straight eighth notes if necessary. The piccolo figures in bars 71-74 can be re-written to match the snare drums if your player(s) can articulate cleanly. The snare drums: One drummer may play the entire piece if necessary, however, two drummers can make a much more convincing crescendo. Have one drummer play the first fourteen bars, the second plays from 15-28, the first plays from 29-42, and both play from 43 to the end. The drummers can then switch from very light sticks at the beginning ( the New York Philharmonic Percussionists start with a dime in each hand instead of sticks! ) and switch to heavier sticks at each rehearsal number. This makes a very thrilling effect leading to the big finish at bar 71 where the suspended cymbal, bass drum, and Tam-Tam (or gong) should be encouraged to play very loud! LITTLE BOLERO BOY (Davis, Onorati, Simeone) Arr: Robert Wendel Instrumentation: Piccolo Flutes 1 and 2 F Horns 1, 2, 3, and 4 Oboe 1 and 2(opt) B flat Trumpets 1, 2, and 3 Bassoon Trombones 1, 2, and 3 (or Bass Trombone) E flat Clarinet Euphonium (Parts in treble & bass) B flat Clarinets 1, 2 and 3 Tuba E flat Alto Clarinet Timpani B flat Bass Clarinet Percussion (2 Snare Drums, Bass Drum, E Flat Alto Saxes 1 and 2 Cymbals, Tam-Tam, Marimba) B flat Tenor Sax String Bass E flat Baritone Sax
