Quempas Carol Trumpet Duet

Description

Note: This trumpet duet is also included in our Trumpet Christmas Duets book. If you are interested in more Christmas duets like this one, we encourage you to take a look at the full Trumpet Christmas Duets book by clicking HERE.

Quempas Carol Trumpet Duet

Arr. Eddie Lewis

Quempas Carol is one of the lesser known Christmas carols, at least here in the states. The truth is, I didn’t even know it was a Christmas carol until I saw it in one of my Christmas carol books. I’ve been listening to the Paul Winter version of this melody since the 1980’s.

For this arrangement, my added materials (based on the original harmonies) stand out more prominently than the original hymn. That added material first occurs at the beginning of the duet as an intro. Then the first statement of the traditional Christmas carol comes in on measure 17. After the initial statement of the Christmas carol, the original material is blended with the original melody throughout the arrangement.

The title, Quempas Carol is an abbreviation of the original Latin, “Quem pastores laudavere”. Here is that text in English:

Shepherds left their flocks a-straying,
God’s command with joy obeying,
When they heard the angel saying:
“Christ is born in Bethlehem.”

Wise Men came from far, and saw him
Knelt in homage to adore him;
Precious gifts they laid before him:
Gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Let us now in every nation
Sing his praise with exultation.
All the world shall find salvation
In the birth of Mary’s Son.

Trumpet Christmas Duets Book

Quempas Carol is the third book in our Trumpet Christmas Duets book. This book is a sequel to our Trumpet Hymn Duets book. The arranging approach was the same for both books. The way we like to describe it is that the trumpet duets honor the mood and harmonies of the original hymns/carols.

Trumpet Player Skill Level

Quempas Carol is in the third level in our system of seven skill levels. The Trumpet Player Skill level is the first of two intermediate skill levels. This means that the range is no higher than G above the staff and no advanced rhythms.

Probably the most challenging aspect of this Quempas Carol trumpet duet is the endurance. For students who are currently at this Trumpet Player Skill Level, the duet may be a little long. This makes it a wonderful opportunity for you to work on your endurance.

Sight Reading for Higher Skill Levels

We encourage our students to sight read music at lower skill levels than their current level. This Quempas Carol trumpet duet and the other duets in the Trumpet Christmas Duets book make wonderful sight reading for students at the Trumpet Apprentice Skill Level or higher.

Christmas Trumpet Duet Gigs

For this reason, this Quempas Carol trumpet duet is perfect for professional Christmas gigs. As a professional trumpet player I have played many trumpet duet Christmas gigs. It can often be difficult to find music that’s appropriate for those gigs. Sometimes the arrangements are so experimental that the audience doesn’t recognize the original Christmas carol. On the other extreme, many trumpet duet Christmas carols were written for beginners and don’t pack the kind of punch you would expect from a professional.

Quempas Carol and the other duets in the book is easy enough for pros to sight read, but it also sounds interesting enough to include in on every trumpet Christmas gig.

Quempas Carol Trumpet Duet Play Along

There is a play along video for this arrangement of Quempas Carol that you can access for free on our YouTube channel. Click the following button to go to that video:

Quempas Carol Play Along Video

Alternatively, you can access all of the carols form the Trumpet Christmas Duets book with our MP3 downloads in our Play-Along Trumpet Christmas Duets digital album by clicking HERE.

Quempas Carol Trumpet Duet Score Video

We also have a score video of this Quempas Carol trumpet duet that gives  you the opportunity to view the piece before you purchase it.