“On December Five-and-Twenty” brings together three folk tunes from different regions of Europe. The first, “Fum, Fum, Fum,” is a Catalan carol from northeastern Spain. The second, “Pat-a-Pan,” comes from the Burgundy region of east-central France. The third, “Touro-Louro-Louro!” comes from the Provence region of southeastern France.
Each tune bears an onomatopoetic title (a word that phonetically imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes): The refrain “fum, fum, fum” in the Catalan carol is an onomatopoeia for the strumming of a guitar. “Pat-a-pan” — the title of the Burgundian carol — imitates the sound of a drum being struck. “Touro-louro-louro!” — the title of the Provencal carol — suggests the singing of birds. (A similar onomatopoeia, “turelurelu,” appears in “Pat-a-Pan,” suggesting the sound of a fife, or flute, being played.)
This is a delightful arrangement that is enjoyable to play and pleasing to listeners.
Score, parts (Bb tpt. 1, Bb tpt. 2, F horn, tbn, tuba) — $12.99
See more Advent and Christmas Music for Brass Quintet | See all Brass Quintets