Holiday Pops Music ~
Chorus & Orchestra
“Away in a Manger” (arrangement)
(An arrangement of the melody by William J. Kirkpatrick, 1895)
See Description, Instrumentation, Text Info, and Reviews at bottom of page.
STATUS: Re-formatting into Sibelius — should be available in summer 2026
PRINT PRICE: $250 + S/H (This includes string parts up to 12, 12, 10, 8, 6.)
PDF PRICE: $185 for a set of PDFs of the full score and all the parts
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FULL SCORE EXCERPT / CHORAL SCORE EXCERPT
SOUND CLIP: If you're considering this piece, contact me to request a demo.
SCORING: Large SATB chorus, accompanied by a large pops orchestra —
See the “Instrumentation” tab below. / DURATION: ca. 4:00
DIFFICULTY: The choral parts are fairly easy, but the instrumental parts are more challenging, so I recommend that this piece be performed only by professional players.
DESCRIPTION
Although this well-known carol is gentle and simple, my arrangement of it is emotionally nuanced and varied:
The first two verses are gentle, as you would expect, but the intensity swells as a brief orchestral interlude take us into the third verse, which is an impassioned request to the Christ Child: “Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay.”
Then, after these final words: “And fit us for heaven, to live with thee there,” the piece ends on a somewhat mystical note. Overall, this is a unique and effective arrangement.
INSTRUMENTATION
CHOIR: Large SATB chorus
WOODWINDS:
3 Flutes
1 Oboe + 1 English Horn
2 Clarinets in Bb + 1 Bass Clarinet
2 Bassoons + 1 Contrabassoon
BRASS:
4 Horns
3 Trombones
1 Tuba
PERCUSSION:
1 timpanist (2 timps), plus 3 percussionists on the following instruments: Glockenspiel, Chimes, Suspended Cymbal, Triangle,
Mark Tree
HARP: 1 Harp
KEYBOARD: 1 electronic keyboard with the following two sounds: acoustic piano, celeste
STRINGS: Ideally, a minimum of 10, 10, 8, 8, 6, but slightly less than this is also doable.
TEXT INFO
Away in a Manger (arrangement)
Anonymous text
Complete text:
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky,
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven, to live with thee there.
REVIEWS
“Away in a Manger” is now a stand-alone piece, but was once part of the medley “A Garland of Carols.”
You can read reviews of “A Garland of Carols“ here.
