In many parts of the world, Advent and Christmas carols have become part of the standard repertoire of popular songs, and this tradition has also produced a large number of such songs in German-speaking countries. These include not only folk songs, some of unknown origin, but also art songs in various styles, as well as movements from popular classical Christmas works. This diversity is reflected in this first volume of German-language Christmas carols, which brings together carols from a broad range of eras, origins and styles. The name SAM-Klang takes the three voice parts from the arrangements -- Soprano, Alto and Men -- and combines it with the Scandinavian and German words for sound to create the portmanteau word sound together or harmony. The series offers basic and advanced choral repertoire. In addition to new repertoire and new arrangements, you will also find essential parts of the classical German, Scandinavian, French and English SATB repertoire, carefully and considerately reworked for SAM. The arrangements retain the characteristic features of the original movements and have almost the same richness of timbre, resulting in works which sound nearly unchanged to an audience. Piano reductions of all choral movements facilitate rehearsal preparation. The arrangements offer development opportunities for all voice sections, bringing new life and new quality to SAM choir work. SAM-Klang enables youth choirs to gain access to classical choral literature and ensures that mixed choirs who face challenges in finding singers for all male voice parts continue to have access to well-loved repertoire. |