Gaudete Fantasy

Timing: 6-8+ minutes Difficulty: Later Intermediate to advanced due to the key signature. Gaudete is perhaps the most famous Christmas melody from the Middle Ages, likely dating from the 1500s, and covered by many a modern band, including The King's Singers, Erasure, and Steeleye Span, to name a few. To write this piece, I took motifs from the tune and wrote my own melodies, avoiding a direct transcription of any part of the original melody. Mvt 1, Fanfare, is a bright opening to the suite. After all, the word Gaudete translates to "rejoice"! Mvt 2 plays with the Pavane and Galliard feel. Both are distinct dances, and while this movement is more somber than danceable to the average listener, it utilizes some tricks that the medieval composers used, as well as draws inspiration from medieval compositional techniques for harmonies. Just like medieval dances, if you were to add a repeat sign at the end, you could play this movement ad nauseam and choose to never end it. Mvt 3, Scherzo, plays with your expectation of time but is a fun jaunt after the serious tone of Mvt 2 nonetheless. If you like Gordon Jacob (not a Renaissance composer), you'll probably like this movement. I've included Mvt 0, Just Gaudete, as a bonus. You may begin or end the suite with this movement, play the opening statement to introduce the audience to the tune, or omit it entirely. You may even shuffle the order of movements if you'd like.