Michael Montgomery: 8 Traditional Christmas Carols for Double Bass Quartet

About the Book

8 Traditional Christmas Carols is for the intermediate double bass quartet, using both treble and bass clefs, featuring inventive and colorful arrangements of popular carols by Michael Montgomery. The use of harmonics adds new colors and textures and these are ideal for performance in the concert hall and church or simply to play with friends. The arrangements are engaging and instantly appealing and the melodic material is often shared between the players.

The edition includes a score and parts and each carol can be repeated one or more times, with players changing parts, alongside the addition of new dynamics and articulations.

1) The First Nowell (17th-century Cornish Carol)
2) What Child is This? (Traditional English Folk Song
3) The Twelve Days of Christmas (Frederick Austin, 1909)
4) Silent Night (Franz Gruber, 1818)
5) O Little Town of Bethlehem (Lewis Redner, 1868)
6) O Come, All Ye Faithful (John Francis Wade, 1751)
7) Joy to the World (Lowell Mason, 1848)
8) We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Traditional English Folk Song)

About the Arranger

Double bassist Michael Montgomery, a student of Robert Rohe (Principal Bass, New Orleans Symphony) and Lucas Drew (Principal Bass, Miami Philharmonic), earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in double bass performance from the University of Miami, played full-time in the bass section of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra for two decades.

He now lives in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, where he teaches double bass at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville and privately in his home studio. Michael has composed numerous works for young double bassists (including over five dozen short bass quartets for young students) which are published by Recital Music and two American publishers.

His articles about bass performance, literature, and teaching have been published in American Suzuki Journal, Bass World, and Pastoral Music.