Andrew Middleton

I Saw 3 Ships Come Sailing In / Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabella

My arrangement of I Saw 3 Ships ... is written in a quasi-baroque style in a quasi-rondo form. For years these 2 English carols have felt to me like 2 parts of the same song and I have arranged them like that. I say quasi-baroque style because of the articulation and rhythmic approach, and the phrasing is essentially that of baroque, although harmonically I move from baroque through modal harmony. Quasi-rondo for this piece means that the thematic material is developed through several variations and settings interspersed with original material of contrasting tone. This arrangement gives each player a melodic role and a wide range of rhythmic and contrapuntal movement. (Andy Middleton)