Playlist: 2021
Track Title: "Ding Dong! Merrily on High"
Period: November 2021

Tools used: Digital piano and MuseScore.

About This Tune: As part of my preparations for the year-end holidays, this tune is my arrangement of "Ding Dong! Merrily on High". The arrangement was originally intended for my piano practice, but then in the music composition software I selected string instruments instead when generating the audio file.

The lyrics of the carol were by English composer George Ratcliffe Woodward, who published it in his 1924 book The Cambridge Carol- Book: Being Fifty-two Songs for Christmas, Easter, And Other Seasons. The music, however, is believed to be from a 16th century French secular dance tune, "Branle de l’Official". "Branle de l’Official" first appeared in Orchésographie, a dance book written by Jehan Tabourot (1519–1593), the French cleric, composer and writer.

My aims for this exercise included making it sound a bit more interesting than easy piano versions I had seen, but without making it too much more difficult for me to practice. I started with the basic melody and enhanced it by blending approaches to accompaniment I had seen in a couple of other arrangements of this carol, and by adding my own small embellishments to the beginning and end. It came out nicer than I hoped, and just in time for use during the holiday season.

Music Experiments