L. Pearson

I Saw Three Ships

When I set out to arrange traditional Christmas carols I was determined that they should not be yet another run-of-the-mill, strophic, verse-by-verse version of our Christmas heritage. I have tried to treat each carol in the collection as the basis for a Petite Fantasie - a continuous, single-movement of variations on the original tune. Of course, the carol is heard in its traditional form at some point during the arrangement but hopefully its appeal is enhanced without destroying the traditional concept. In particular, I Saw Three Ships becomes a Gigue while the Coventry Carol and Veni, Veni, Emmanuel inevitably are modal. The collection is, in all, a delightful mixture of musical styles through the ages.' - Leslie Pearson