Gaudete!

Traditional, Arranged by Nigel Hall

Instrumentation: Brass Band

Length: 4 Minutes

Difficulty: C Grade

"Gaudete" ("Rejoice") is a sacred Christmas carol, composed sometime in the 16th century, most likely in reference to Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday in Advent. It is celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church falling between December 11 and December 17 inclusive. The song was published in the Piae Cantiones, a collection of Finnish/Swedish sacred songs published in 1582. No music is given for the verses, but the standard tune comes from older liturgical books.

The text, in Latin, is a typical song of praise, probably stemming from the Middle Ages. It follows the standard pattern for the time - a uniform series of four-line stanzas, each preceded by a two-line refrain (in the early English carol this was known as the burden). Carols could be on any subject, but typically they were about the Virgin Mary or the Saints of Christmas.

Nigel's arrangement gives this classic some original treatment, check out the preview!

See the Scorch version below. For a larger, clearer version, click here!