Drawing upon the rich resource of Christmas carols, acclaimed composer Larry Shackley has created a sumptuous musical tapestry titled “A Christmas Carol Gallery.” It is comprised of four suites or portraits of the season. Each suite features narrative for one or more readers and a medley of four carols for choir and optional soloists. Even the narrative is carol-based, adapted from revered historic texts. As an added bonus, reproducible carol pages are available for congregation or audience participation. Performed in its entirety, with SATB or SAB voices, it is a splendid concert or worship program lasting approximately 25 minutes, with instrumentation for both full orchestra and small instrumental ensemble. The delightful keyboard writing easily provides festive accompaniment for performances without additional instruments. Also, each of the suites can be performed individually, with or without narration.
