Entre le Boeuf et l'Âne Gris: 3-part Harp Ensemble arranged by Stephen Dunstone

This traditional French carol (literally "Between the Ox and the Grey Donkey" but often simply called "The Ox and the Ass" in English) is one of my favourite Christmas carols. I know I probably say that about an awful lot of carols, but I do find there is something particularly haunting about this one. For a long time I assumed it was always arranged as a harmonic minor piece (so, if it was in D minor, as my version is, all the Cs would be C sharps). But when I came to write the countermelodies they seemed to want to include C naturals, creating a more modal feel. I imagined all the Christmas carol purists tut-tutting and saying “We can’t have this!”, but more recently I’ve come across many arrangements, whether for choir or instruments, with a wide variety of lovely harmonisations, so I felt better about my own version, which uses a pattern similar to songs like Greensleeves, which is essentially modal but sharpens the leading note at cadences. I think it works well, and I hope you do too.
The sheet music is available as usual from Creighton's Collection (https://www.creighton-griffiths.co.uk...) or from your regular harp music supplier.