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SKU: A0.548652
Composed by James Pierpont. Arranged by James M. Guthrie, ASCAP. Christmas. 15 pages. Jmsgu3 #3408105. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.548652).A unique arrangement of Jingle Bells arranged for piano trio (piano, violin, cello, and optional sleigh bells). The first verses are based on the traditional version. After an abrupt modulation, the third verse explores an augmentation canon, while the cello pursues a wild sleigh ride passage. Meanwhile, the tune is fragmented and sequenced in the piano. It gets wild but straightens out for the final refrain. Score: 7 pg, 68 ms. String parts: 2 pg. Sleighbell part: 1 pg. Piano part: 3 pg.
Jingle Bells is perhaps the most famous songs in American music history. James L. Pierpont published the song as "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the late 1850’s. Since its introduction, people began to insist that Pierpont wrote it for a Sunday school choir. However, it seems unlikely that such a secular song would be considered appropriate during that historical period for Sunday school.
Christmas Repertoire
Pierpont wrote the song for the Thanksgiving holidays, but over time people began to think of it more as a Christmas song. Some choirs adopted it as part of their Christmas repertoire in the 1860s and 1870s. Jingle Bells was first recorded in 1889 on a wax cylinder.
Origins
No one knows where Pierpont composed the song. One theory suggests he wrote it in Medford Massachusetts in 1850. Sleigh races were certainly popular in 19th Century Massachusetts. To this day, a commemorative placard appears in Medford square claiming that it is the birthplace of Jingle Bells. Others suggest that he wrote it in Savannah, Georgia where he was an organist and music director at the Unitarian Church. This theory gains support from the copyright date of 1857. We know he was living in Savannah by then.
Traffic Signals
Horse-drawn sleighs are relatively quiet in the snow. Consequently, horses were usually equipped with bell-laden straps so as to avoid accidents at blind intersections. Sleigh drivers in 19th Century New England were constantly vigilant, listening for the sounds of approaching horse-drawn sleighs. The tune imitates the rhythm that the trotting horse bells produce.
Social Context
Jingle Bells was sung as a drinking song at local revelries: during the song folks would rhythmically jangle the ice in their glasses. A sleigh ride gave couples an opportunity to be alone together. The term "Jingle bells" is a poetic descriptive adjective referring specifically to the more accurate term sleigh bells. In many arrangements, sleigh bells are used to accentuate the rhythm during the song chorus.
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