(Post 20 of 33 in my 16-hour shift for the Secular Student Alliance Blogathon.)
5:30 pm EDT
You know that Dan Barker is the composer of two children’s Christmas musicals, yes? Well I have a holiday secret my own self.
About 12 years ago, a Christmas carol of mine called The Snickelways of York (I used to be a composer, please keep up, geez) was a national finalist in a competition sponsored by the American Composers Forum. It’s published by Hal Leonard and usually gets itself sung somewhere in the world every Christmas. From the publisher’s site:
For a winter or Christmas concert, this humorous tale follows the travails of a Yorkshireman as he tries to hurry home on Christmas Eve. An unwise shortcut leads him through the alleyways of York, on a trip around the world, and finally, a meeting with St. Nick himself. For high school through adult choirs, this “breathless, rollicking 6/8,” a cappella journey includes whistling and onomatopoeia to add to the fun.
It’s one of the few things I ever wrote that I still like. It’s not easy, but it’s funny and fun if the group is up to it. Any choir directors out there wanna tackle it? If you do, record it for me. I haven’t heard it in years.