December Lullaby for string orchestra

December Lullaby
for string orchestra and piano (optional)

Full Orchestra
String Orchestra
Wind Ensemble
Vocal
Chamber
Solo Instrumental

   I grew up in Florida and never experienced the harshness or the beauty of winter until I was in my 20s. Now that I have lived farther north for over a decade, I still look forward to seeing the first snowfall each year. It rapidly transforms a bleak autumn landscape into a peaceful and delicate one, covering ragged leafless branches with a rounded cloak of snow. As you listen to this piece, imagine watching the first snow of the season while wrapped in a blanket, sipping hot chocolate next to a crackling fireplace. Throughout December Lullaby, there is an alternation between intimate chamber-like settings and lush full-ensemble textures. A solo violin and piano open the piece with a lyrical flowing melody that is passed around the orchestra. The middle section is more agitated and more grand, with colorful and expansive harmonies. Eventually, the return of the first melody is combined with elements from the middle section, but calmness persists through to the end.

   The piano part is optional and is cued in the strings if a piano is not available.

   There is also a version of this piece for wind ensemble and flexible ensemble. The Flexible ensemble version includes string parts, and will allow you to include winds, brass, and percussion in a flexible manner.

   December Lullaby is available for sale from Murphy Music Press.

   Duration: ca. 4'
   Grade: 3

Listen to a reading by the Blue Valley Northwest High School Orchestra, directed by Michael Arbucci:

You may download a pdf of the perusal score in case the embedded score below is difficult to see or does not display.

To purchase scores and parts for December Lullaby, please head over to Murphy Music Press.