For the Children or the Grown-Ups?

Transcription

1 ~ holiday song or SATB chorus vibraphone (or piano) ~ Anonymous Text Music by Christopher Hoh HohMade Music 619 Seventh Street South Arlington, VA 2220 USA

2 'Tis the week beore Christmas and every night As soon as the children are snuggled up tight And have sleepily murmured their wishes and prayers, What un does go on in the parlor downstairs! or ather, Big Brother, and Grandather too, Start in with great vigor their youth to renew The Grown-ups are having great un all is well; And they play til it's long past the one am bell They try to solve puzzles and each one enoys The magical thrill o mechanical toys; Even Mother must play with a doll that can talk, And i you ust lend a hand, it's able to walk It's really no matter i paint may be scratched, Or a cogwheel, a nut, or a bolt gets detached The grown-ups are having great un all is well; The children don't know it, and Santa won't tell Author GDK (unknown), alt C Hoh Original poem published in "Lie" magazine, Dec 7, 1922, attr to "GDK" and not uther identiied Cover image "Rocking Horse" (Grandather Boy on Rocking Horse) by Norman Rockwell, rom the Saturday Evening ost, December 16, 1933

3 GDK (unknown author) Soprano Alto 3 Unhurried {q = c 52} 3 Christopher Hoh a tempo Tenor Bass 3 3 'Tis the iano Unhurried {q = c 52} b - - a tempo 7 3 week be-ore Christ-mas, Christ-mas, and ev - 'ry night, as soon as the 1 child-ren are snug-gled up tight, and have sleep - i - ly mur - mured their wish-es and 1 Music copyright 2016 by Christopher Hoh Text is public domain All rights reserved

4 prayers, what un does go 2 2 on in the 3 3 par - lor down - stairs! or ath - er, Big Bro-ther, and Grand-ath - er too start in with great vi - gor their youth to re - new The grown - ups are hav - ing great un; all is well And they

5 bass div unis 2 play 'til it's 2 2 long past the 3 3 one A M bell p 9 They try to solve puz - zles and each one en - oys the mag - i - cal 9 56 thrill o mech - an - i - cal toys, Ev-en Moth - er must play with a doll that can talk; and 56

6 63 i you ust lend a hand, it's 3 3 soprano div ab - le to walk unis U " () U " U U " a tempo detached It's real - ly no mat-ter () detached a tempo i paint may be scratched; or a cog-wheel, a 77 legato 77 nut, or a * bolt gets de - tached The grown - ups are hav - ing great legato un; all is

7 5 8 8 well The child - ren don't know it, the child - ren don't 90 b b alto div unis know it, the child b - ren b don't know b b it, 90 the child - dren b don't b b know it, 97 ( ) 97 b b b b N N n n and and San San più - - ta ta won't won't tell tell Duration: 2' 55"

8 6 I came across this delightul poem when looking or a text to go with a vibraphone accompaniment That instrument sometimes reminds me o a toy piano, although it's also capable o great expression and sophistication Still, with its playul sound in mind, I thought this light-hearted poem about toys could make a perect pairing And its mention o mechanical toys sealed the deal or me! So here is a Christmas choral piece or a listener o any age to enoy Regarding instrumentation, I have written a piano part or occasions when no vibraphone is available There are also parts or two mallet players to divide the accompaniment in hopes o making it accessible or more perormers Xylophones, marimbas and metallophones could all substitute or supplement the accompaniment inally, two pianists could perorm the piano part as a our-hand duet Whatever instruments are used, the accompaniment should remain light and playul As or the text, I have tried to ind out who was GDK, the person credited with this work when Lie magazine published it in the 1920s I anyone can discover this identity, please let me know, since this poet deserves credit! Christopher Hoh Arlington, VA March 2017

9 Vibraphone GDK (unknown author) Christopher Hoh Unhurried {q = c 52} medium slow motor bb 3 - a tempo bb 3 3 b - pedal ad lib 9 bb 1 bb 19 bb bb bb * * simile * Music copyright 2016 by Christopher Hoh Text is public domain All rights reserved

10 Vibraphone bb bb 2 39 bb 3 9 bb 5 bb p * pedal ad lib * 59 bb 6 bb bb 3 U "

11 Vibraphone bb a tempo no pedal bb 81 bb * pedal ad lib 86 bb 91 bb b b b 96 bb b b b b N n 101 bb ƒ

12 Mallets GDK (unknown author) Christopher Hoh 1 Mallets 2 Unhurried {q = c 52} b a tempo Music copyright 2016 by Christopher Hoh Text is public domain All rights reserved

13 Mallets p p U " U "

14 Mallets a tempo 8 91 b b b b b b 99 b N n ƒ ƒ