Journey of the Three Kings for Young Band (Grade 1.5)

Journey of the Three Kings for Young Band

• Composed 2009 / rev. 2021
• Duration: c. 3m
• Grade: c. 1.5

Journey of the Three Kings is a dramatic interpretation of the traditional Christmas melody, “We Three Kings,” using original material to create a work that is more than a mere “arrangement.”

It interjects a bit of drama into a festive melody without removing the festivity of it, giving a sense of being on an epic journey, which must have been one for the actual historical wise men that made it.

When I first began honing my craft as a young composer, I worked on a number of pieces that were almost original compositions, except they were based on Christmas melodies.

“We Three Kings” was one of the melodies I worked with at the time, and I wrote a piece for brass band called Three Kings Fantasy (later adapted for orchestra). For Journey of the Three Kings, I wanted to revisit the melody, but make it playable and approachable by a young band. (I also made a brass quintet version of it.)

The end result, like my early works but not quite to the extent, is a piece that walks the line between an arrangement and an original composition. I originally wrote this in 2009, and revised it in 2021 to make the orchestration more appropriate for a Grade 1-2 band.

My hope is that students enjoy working on it, and are inspired to rise to its challenges.