A Harper's Yuletide

20 old and new tunes for the season arranged or composed by Karen, some with variations, suitable for elementary to advanced players. Arranged in 13 sets, or playable as stand-alone tunes.

CONTENTS
Here We Come A-Wassailing 1
Brightest and Best / A Virgin Most Pure 2-3
The Cherry Tree Carol 4-5
The Wassail Set
Gloucestershire Wassail / Apples of Edinburgh* 6-7
Down in Yon Forest / My Dancing Day 8-10
The Boar’s Head Carol / Gaudete 11-13
The Winter Solstice Set* 14-16
Winter Solstice Eve / The 21st Reel / Yule Log Polka
O Little Town of Bethlehem / A Shetland Carol 17-19
O Come, O Come Emmanuel 20-21
Am Baile Geamhraidh Leam Féin 22
(In the Winter Habitation Alone)
The Merry Christmas 23
Aoibhneas Moire Mhin (The Joys of Gentle Mary) 24-25
Love Came Down at Christmas (Gartan) 26-28
*tunes composed by Karen Marshalsay

About this music

These are some of my favourite tunes to play over the Yuletide season, alongside some new ones of my own and a couple that I found in older collections while putting this book together. I’ve arranged some of them in sets as I play them but they all also work well as individual pieces. The book is suitable for elementary to advanced players. In some pieces less experienced players might wish to only play the first time through the tune and repeat that rather than going on to the more advanced sections, and sometimes I have written a separate simpler version. Players can also adapt what’s written to their current level, playing harmonics as standard notes for example or not playing all of the written left hand. I hope that less experienced players will develop their skills each year and play more of the arrangements and that these tunes will become part of your Christmas and Winter Solstice celebrations for many years to come.

Karen Marshalsay

Edinburgh 2021