Larry Clark

The Simple Gifts Of Christmas

Simple Gifts is one of America's most beautiful songs. Most people believe it is a folk song, but it was actually written by Joseph Brackett, a shaker minister, and has become synonymous with American music through the setting by Aaron Copland in his ballet Appalachian Spring. In this piece, Larry Clark has created a collage of favorite Christmas carols layered over the famous song. Perfect for your very first holiday concert, The Simple Gifts of Christmas is written using only the first six notes learned in typical band methods and no rhythm is more difficult than quarter notes are carried in the winds. A great choice for your student's first Christmas concert!