Year: 1847/2006/2023
Duration: 4:15
Grade: Medium
Originally composed in the 19th century by French composer Adolphe Adam.The tune was arranged by composer W.G. Snuffy Walden for an episode of the NBC television series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip in 2006.
Recorded by Sytrus Brass featuring Nick Piato (trumpet) at Syracuse University in March 2023.
Program Notes
O Holy Night has stood the test of time as one of the holiday season’s most enduring songs, with a plethora of arrangements that have propagated over the many years since the piece’s conception. The song was originally composed in the 19th century by French composer Adolphe Adam, based on poem written in 1843 by poet Placide Cappeau. While there are many popular renditions of O Holy Night that are well known to the general populace, there is one fantastic arrangement that many do not know. The arrangement was created by composer W.G. Snuffy Walden at the request of Aaron Sorkin for an episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a NBC television series created by Sorkin that ran from 2006 to 2007. The episode’s final sequence features the arrangement in performance by a New Orleans style brass band performance, led by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews on trumpet. According to an article from NOLA.com, “Walden said that Sorkin asked for an arrangement of the song akin to one he knew by the Canadian Brass. ‘I know what Aaron’s tastes are,” Walden said. “What he wanted was a hymn. What he was looking for was classically oriented, and yet it needed to be New Orleans.'” In an effort to capture the beauty of Walden’s rendition for a more smaller ensemble, the arrangement was adapted for brass quintet. The brass quintet adaptation still features the lead trumpet prominently and has hopefully retained the essence of New Orleans within the reduced orchestration.
Shawn W. Davern 