Last Christmas - Sheet Music for Alto Saxophone Wham!

"Last Christmas" on the alto saxophone – and it instantly sounds like Christmas. These alto saxophone sheet music arrangements are aimed at players with approximately two years of lessons under their belt: the delicate legato phrasing and off-beat moments demand a little more than simply reading notes. As part of the playbackNOTEN series, the arrangement also fits seamlessly into ensemble playing.

Sheet Music "Last Christmas" – melancholic Christmas pop for alto saxophone

With "Last Christmas," Wham! wrote one of the most-played Christmas songs of all time. George Michael composed the song in 1984 – a quintessential product of the synth-pop sound of the era that made Wham! one of the defining bands of the decade: catchy melodies over electronically produced accompaniment, warm and yet gently melancholic. It tells a story of misplaced feelings and the hope of doing better next time. The song lives and breathes through its earworm melody, and that's precisely what makes it so rewarding on the saxophone: the line sings all by itself.

On the alto saxophone, this melody carries a warm, slightly wistful tone – the instrument is a perfect fit here. The key of C major (in concert notation, as the alto saxophone is a transposing instrument) stays pleasantly manageable with just one accidental. The melody spans an octave and a half and sits comfortably under the fingers. The difficulty level is easy – with one caveat: the syncopations that give the song its characteristic flow, along with the finely graded legato slurs, do require a solid sense of rhythm and bow control. Players with around two years of lessons will be well prepared. There is also a longer phrase of approximately seven bars in a single breath – breath planning here needs to be deliberate. In the upper register, where the melody reaches into the higher range, intonation deserves particular attention: alto saxophones tend to go sharp there, and a controlled embouchure with conscious breath support will help keep those notes clean.

• Range: f' to a'' (1.5 octaves)
• Main challenge: Syncopations with displaced accents in the alto saxophone arrangement
• Ideal for: Christmas concert, school concert, chamber music at home

If you first isolate the syncopations by tapping them out – keeping the basic pulse with your foot while singing or tapping the displaced accents against it – you'll have them secure on the saxophone in no time. The many short legato slurs sound their best when each one is treated as a small phrase in its own right: with a gentle emphasis at the start and a light release at the end. For the longer breath phrase, it pays to take your breath consciously just before the entry – deep, calm, and then the line flows through on its own.

A short demo audio preview gives you an initial impression of the piece. If you'd like to try the arrangement with accompaniment: a playback track – available with or without the melody – is offered as a separate purchase option and is helpful for gauging tempo and phrasing. The sheet music is available for immediate download after purchase. 100% licensed – ready to perform legally, right away.

Editorially reviewed by the notendownload.com team

All Arrangements for "Last Christmas "