Thiemo Kraas

Oh Yes, Believer!

OH YES, BELIEVER! is based on the English-language Advent and Christmas carol "The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy", which is also known as "Glorious Kingdom". It is attributed to the West Indies and first appeared in the book "West Indian Spirituals and Folk Tunes" published in 1945. The song, which takes the form of a spiritual - a genre of Christian religious songs - tells of the Virgin Mary and the birth of her son Jesus Christ.

Due to the great popularity of the cheerful, optimistic music, numerous adaptations and cover versions were created. Most artists drew on the song's Caribbean roots and presented it in the guise of calypso, a musical style whose origins are attributed to the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

The German composer and arranger Thiemo Kraas also opted for this dance, which was also well-known and very popular in the USA and Europe from the 1950s onwards. It forms the rhythmic basis of his extremely creative work for wind orchestra. Peppered with numerous rhythmic refinements and percussive effects, OH YES, BELIEVER! conveys the pure and thrilling joy of the coming and birth of the Lord.

The piece can be performed with or without four-part choir (SATB). Musical note:If you would like to play the percussion in full, a minimum of five players are required. However, the piece can of course also be performed completely without percussion or with fewer players. If there are only one or two players, we recommend using the parts Percussion 1 and/or Percussion 2. The mallet instruments are divided between the different parts, but are also available in a separate score.