Away in the Manger
This Christmas piece is a surprisingly sophisticated arrangement for its difficulty level. The first two sections hold no surprises, being straightforward chordal settings of two well-known tunes assigned to the familiar words. The third section cleverly melds the three known tunes into one unique melange of sound. The mood is quiet and worshipful. Rhythms are easy; the key center shifts from Bb to C. The primary attention-getter comes with the complexity of section three.