Renaissance Christmas

Two William Byrd masterworks woven into one sweeping concert band showpiece.

Arranged by Kyle Skrivanek, Renaissance Christmas draws on the music of William Byrd — one of the great English composers of the Renaissance — and reimagines it for the modern concert band. The piece opens with a triumphant percussion fanfare before a solo trumpet announces the bold, celebratory theme of Rejoice, Rejoice. The energy builds with driving percussion accents until the music suddenly opens up into something altogether different: a luminous brass chorale introducing Byrd's O Magnum Mysterium, quiet and reverent. The conclusion brings back Rejoice, Rejoice with added material, closing the piece on a high.