Christmas Tootie-Flooties! was originally written back in 1990, as a short medley of Xmas tunes for school instrumentalists - flute or recorder trio and piano.

As such it has been well received, but having recently re-arranged some other similarly-resourced pieces for wind or string instruments alone - i.e. without their piano part - I felt it might be an equally good idea to do the same here, and turn out a few versions for the commonest combinations I’ve written for before - Flute / Clarinet Choir, Wind / Brass Quintet, Saxophone Quartet.

Each arrangement is, however, individual - it’s not merely a copy - and hopefully makes best use of the respective instrumental ranges and timbres, by varying the concert key to suit.

As I wrote in my original programme note to the 1990 version: "Overall it is intended to be bright, lively and festive, with just a little calm and repose in the middle section, with Silent Night."

As with all the other, newer versions, I have included an extra ’tune’ to the original Christmas Tootie-Flooties! medley. Following Silent Night, there’s now my late Mother’s favourite, In the Bleak Midwinter - Holst’s melody - just before the Wish you a Merry Xmas! ending.

The Christmas Medley for Piano Duet already included this, so it seemed only right to make it available for all the other versions and arrangements.

Despite all the versions I've been asked for, I've never considered one for Woodwind Quartet - Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon. Recently I was contacted by flute specialist, Jill Shepherd, from York, who asked whether I would make a Woodwind Quartet version of arguably my most popular-ever score, 'The Lone Ar-ranger!', which I did, and which seems to work really well.

Therefore, this has prompted me to produced a Woodwind Quartet version of another of my popular arrangements - hopefully just in time for Christmas!