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Christmas for Ten Fingers

20 May 2026

Difficulty: Very Easy

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Christmas for Ten Fingers is a colourful festive companion to the enduringly popular Ten Fingers series for beginner pianists. The collection comprises easy arrangements of well-known Christmas carols and songs in the five-finger position, with handy keyboard diagrams and fingerings to help early learners. Each piece is presented with a fun and supportive accompaniment part that can be played at the same keyboard as a duet, and a selection of tunes are offered in an alternative key (up to one sharp or flat) for those looking for an extra challenge. Beautifully presented with full-colour illustrations, the collection also includes lyrics to encourage singing along. Ideal for playing together in lessons, sightreading, and seasonal concerts, Christmas for Ten Fingers is the perfect festive gift for any aspiring pianist!

“A superbly engaging easy collection for younger players, with duet parts, and rich with creative teaching potential.”

Andrew Eales, Pianodao, November 2025

Christmas Fantasy

20 May 2026

SATB and piano or brass quintet, percussion and organ
Duration: 10 minutes | Difficulty: Easy – Moderately Difficult

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This sparkling work draws together four well-known carols reflecting the joys of being together with friends and loved ones to celebrate the festive season, with hopes for brighter times ahead. Higgins’s lively arrangement of Deck the hall begins with a virtuosic instrumental introduction and features a soprano descant on the final verse. Next, Carol of the Bells employs the glockenspiel in the famous repeating four-note motif, with Higgins bringing a fresh take to this notable melody through new words and an imaginative use of the choir to portray the chiming bells. O Christmas tree, is warm and gentle, with a new text and the opportunity for a charismatic solo verse over a rich cushion of harmonies. The final movement, Here we come a-wassailing, is full of merriment, and, reflecting its composition during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, contains a subtle nod at the close towards the chaos of trying to sing ‘together’ online.

We three kings of Orient are

20 October 2023

SATB and piano (with optional percussion)
Duration: 3.5 minutes | Difficulty: Easy

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In this fun, rhythmic arrangement of the classic Christmas carol, Michael Higgins retains the traditional melodic line in the vocal parts, while the use of syncopation and harmonic twists in the piano accompaniment creates an unsteady, off-kilter feel reminiscent of a camel’s gait. With optional percussion adding a contrasting steady pulse, this is a captivating reimagining of the much-loved carol.

Tomorrow shall be my dancing day

19 September 2023

SATB (with divisions) and organ
Duration: 2.5 minutes | Difficulty: Easy

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This sparkling arrangement of the traditional English carol presents the familiar melody through a variety of textures, ranging from unison to five parts. Accompanied by organ, the carol concludes with a soaring soprano descant. Light and rhythmic in style, it dances with joy and celebration, perfect for concerts and services.

Still, still, still

19 September 2023

SABar and piano
Duration: 3 minutes | Difficulty: Very Easy – Easy

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Higgins’s arrangement of the popular German carol is given a modern twist with fresh harmonies, but still captures the gentleness and tranquillity found in more traditional settings. Supported by sustained ‘oo’s and ‘ah’s throughout, the well-known melody is underpinned by a delicate piano accompaniment, with an optional unaccompanied middle section.

“Still, still, still is an arrangement by Michael Higgins of the well-loved Austrian traditional carol. Its most obvious attraction for smaller choirs with fewer men is that the voices are divided three ways ­– S, A, Bar – but this is by no means its only merit. The textures and harmonies all contribute to a sense of space and light, and the piano accompaniment gently illustrates the stillness that the text demands.”

Jeremy Jackman, Choir & Organ, August 2021

Star of the East

19 September 2023

SS or unison upper voices and piano
Duration: 1.5 minutes | Difficulty: Very Easy – Easy

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With a text by Eugene Field, Higgins’ charming melodies gently rock in compound time and start off in unison before growing into a simple two-part texture. The voices are supported by a busy piano part that mimic the glimmer of the star. This accessible, lively setting is also suitable for SA.

“Michael Higgins evokes the star with a busy, glittering piano part. Voices sing an easily learnt melody in unison and optionally two-part harmony and as a canon. The text, by the 19th-century American ‘poet of childhood’ Eugene Field, may seem a bit twee nowadays, but the piece could work well in a school Christmas concert.”

James L. Montgomery, Sunday by Sunday (RSCM), September 2022

Away in a manger

18 September 2023

SSA and piano or harp
Duration: 3 minutes | Difficulty: Easy

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Higgins’s arrangement of Away in a manger is beautiful and delicate. The first verse is taken by unison upper voices; the second is a cappella, with an optional soloist or small group and sustained ‘ooh’s; and the last verse features fresh, homophonic harmonies. The accompaniment twinkles gently around the voices, contributing towards the magical character of the arrangement.

“I was immediately touched by the exceptionally fine and tender setting of Away in a manger by Michael Higgins. The lilting piano or harp part floats over arpeggio figures with occasional touches of a gently placed seventh and ends with a haunting two-octave unison. […] This beautifully crafted piece would work so well with young singers as well as adult choirs.”

Joy Hill, Choir & Organ, August 2021

Away in a manger

18 September 2023

SATB and piano or harp
Duration: 3 minutes | Difficulty: Easy

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Higgins’s arrangement of Away in a manger is beautiful and delicate. The first verse is taken by unison upper voices; the second is a cappella, with an optional soloist or small group and sustained ‘ooh’s; and the last verse features fresh, homophonic harmonies. The accompaniment twinkles gently around the voices, contributing towards the magical character of the arrangement.

“I was immediately touched by the exceptionally fine and tender setting of Away in a manger by Michael Higgins. The lilting piano or harp part floats over arpeggio figures with occasional touches of a gently placed seventh and ends with a haunting two-octave unison. […] This beautifully crafted piece would work so well with young singers as well as adult choirs.”

Joy Hill, Choir & Organ, August 2021

The Angel Gabriel

2 September 2023

for SSSSAATBB unaccompanied
Duration: 3 minutes | Difficulty: Moderately Difficult

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In this haunting arrangement of the well-known carol, Higgins creates a mystical soundscape by layering a single motif in a four-part soprano canon. These repetitions echo throughout and support the various textures explored in each verse, producing a dramatic and atmospheric setting of the Basque carol. Suitable for chamber and concert choir.

“It must be hard to think of anything original to do with The Angel Gabriel but Higgins has managed it with sophisticated textures contributing to an imaginative arrangement.”

John Quinn, MusicWeb International