James Pierpont

Jingle Bells Samba

Saxophone quartet s/aatb

Heiko Quistorf recently created several arrangements of well-known Christmas carols for four brass instruments, always giving the songs a new guise. The classic "Jingle Bells" by James Lord Pierpont was arranged as a lively samba. The present arrangement for saxophone quartet was derived from this and is compatible with the edition for brass quartet.

The tempo does not have to be too fast. It is more important to bring out the dance-like quality, i.e. the half-measure accents and the light staccato quarters. In part C, the first saxophone can improvise a little, or the melody can be played around slightly, just as it is notated. Finally, there is a modulation so that part F is presented as a powerful climax in the new key. "Jingle Bells Samba" is a cheerful arrangement that is a lot of fun and almost encourages dancing, but presents the theme of the Christmas carol without much alienation.