By Nina Simone. By Jay Hawkins. Arranged by Chappell Kingsland. This edition: pdf. Classical, Halloween, Rock. Full Orchestra. 15 pages. Wild Beautiful Music #1281352. Published by Wild Beautiful Music (A0.1717934).
For Alto or Bass Vocalist and Full Orchestra Instrumentation: 2.Picc.2.EH.2.Bs Cl.1. / 4.3.3.1. / Harp.Piano.El Bs.Perc.Drumset / Strings If an instrumental version is desired, several transpositions of the Vocal part are included to facilitate performance by an instrument soloist.
This arrangement of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ iconic song was written in 2025 for the Denver Rock Orchestra’s first Halloween concert. Any attempt to transcribe Screamin’ Jay’s exact vocal performance would be completely futile, so before arranging, I listened to more than twenty cover versions and arrangements of the song, each built on the same core but with their own unique character. This orchestral version retains the essence which I heard in all of them and adds new material to create an intensely theatrical experience.
The orchestration inhabits a dark and volatile soundworld; spiky, dissonant harmonies create an atmosphere of instability and menace. The central instrumental section depicts the ritual of casting a spell, an eerie incantation that suspends time. Throughout, flashes of modern harmonic language—closer to 20th-century art music than to blues—push the piece beyond its roots, heightening its psychological intensity.
Be sure to check out our other fantastic arrangements and compositions, including the complete Wild Beautiful Music Halloween Series, at wildbeautifulmusic.com.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global
self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters.
ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular
titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.
About Digital Downloads
Digital Downloads are downloadable sheet music files that can be viewed directly on
your computer, tablet or mobile device. Once you download your digital sheet music,
you can view and print it at home, school, or anywhere you want to make music, and
you don't have to be connected to the internet. Just purchase, download and play!
PLEASE NOTE: Your Digital Download will have a watermark at the bottom of each page
that will include your name, purchase date and number of copies purchased. You are
only authorized to print the number of copies that you have purchased. You may not
digitally distribute or print more copies than purchased for use (i.e., you may not
print or digitally distribute individual copies to friends or students).
By Nina Simone. By Jay Hawkins. Arranged by Chappell Kingsland. This edition: pdf. Classical, Halloween, Rock. Full Orchestra. 15 pages. Wild Beautiful Music #1281352. Published by Wild Beautiful Music (A0.1717934).
For Alto or Bass Vocalist and Full Orchestra Instrumentation: 2.Picc.2.EH.2.Bs Cl.1. / 4.3.3.1. / Harp.Piano.El Bs.Perc.Drumset / Strings If an instrumental version is desired, several transpositions of the Vocal part are included to facilitate performance by an instrument soloist.
This arrangement of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ iconic song was written in 2025 for the Denver Rock Orchestra’s first Halloween concert. Any attempt to transcribe Screamin’ Jay’s exact vocal performance would be completely futile, so before arranging, I listened to more than twenty cover versions and arrangements of the song, each built on the same core but with their own unique character. This orchestral version retains the essence which I heard in all of them and adds new material to create an intensely theatrical experience.
The orchestration inhabits a dark and volatile soundworld; spiky, dissonant harmonies create an atmosphere of instability and menace. The central instrumental section depicts the ritual of casting a spell, an eerie incantation that suspends time. Throughout, flashes of modern harmonic language—closer to 20th-century art music than to blues—push the piece beyond its roots, heightening its psychological intensity.
Be sure to check out our other fantastic arrangements and compositions, including the complete Wild Beautiful Music Halloween Series, at wildbeautifulmusic.com.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global
self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters.
ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular
titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.
About Digital Downloads
Digital Downloads are downloadable sheet music files that can be viewed directly on
your computer, tablet or mobile device. Once you download your digital sheet music,
you can view and print it at home, school, or anywhere you want to make music, and
you don't have to be connected to the internet. Just purchase, download and play!
PLEASE NOTE: Your Digital Download will have a watermark at the bottom of each page
that will include your name, purchase date and number of copies purchased. You are
only authorized to print the number of copies that you have purchased. You may not
digitally distribute or print more copies than purchased for use (i.e., you may not
print or digitally distribute individual copies to friends or students).
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