Deck the Hall
Encyclopedia
"Deck the Halls" is a traditional Yule
tide/Christmas
and New Years' carol
. The "fa-la-la" refrains were probably originally played on the harp
. The tune is Welsh
dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, Nos Galan. In the eighteenth century Mozart used the tune to "Deck the Halls" for a violin and piano duet. The repeated "fa la la" is from medieval ballads and used in Nos Galan, the remaining lyrics are American in origin dating from the nineteenth century.
Sometimes the third, "New Year", version is a follow up.
Note: in this version the third line of "Fa la la" is sometimes interpreted as "Fa, la la la, fa la la la" (Refer to Carols for Choirs 3)
air, first found in a musical manuscript by Welsh harpist John Parry Ddall
(c. 1710–1782), but undoubtedly much older than that. The composition is still popular as a dance tune in Wales, and was published in the 1784 and 1794 editions of the harpist Edward Jones's Musical and Poetical Relics of the Welsh Bards. Poet
John Ceiriog Hughes
wrote the first published lyrics for the piece in Welsh, titling it "Nos Galan" ("New Year's Eve"). A middle verse was later added by folk singers. In the eighteenth century the tune spread widely, with Mozart using it in a piano and violin concerto and, later, Haydn in the song "New Year's Night."
Originally, carols were dances and not songs. The accompanying tune would have been used as a setting for any verses of appropriate metre. Singers would compete with each other, verse for verse — known as canu penillion dull y De ("singing verses in the southern style"). The church actively opposed these folk dances. Consequently, tunes originally used to accompany carols became separated from the original dances, but were still referred to as "carols". The popular English lyrics for this carol are not a translation from the Welsh. The connection with
dancing is made explicit in the English lyrics by the phrase "follow me in merry measure" as "measure" is a synonym for dance. A collection of
such sixteenth and seventeenth century dances danced at the Inns of Court
in London
are called the Old Measures
. Dancing itself having been previously suppressed by the church was revived during the renaissance
beginning in fifteenth century Italy .
During the Victorian re-invention of Christmas it was turned into a traditional English Christmas song. The first English language version appeared in The Franklin Square Song Collection, edited by J.P.McCaskey in 1881 and published by Harper & Brothers in New York City. See here for a more detailed summary of what various sources say about its history.
Charles Wood arranged a version, the words from Talhaiarn; translated by T. Oliphant. Oliphant died in 1873 and the first English version of 1881 is attributed to him.
group SHeDAISY
that was made for their Christmas studio album Brand New Year
and was featured in the Disney animated film Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
. The music video features scenes of the movie. The single was released on November 9, 1999.
traditionally sang this song at Christmas, using nonsense lyrics, "Deck us all with Boston Charlie", and so on.
In parts of Canada it is common for children to sing ``Deck the halls with poison ivy``, a playground song based on Deck the Halls.
Yule
Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January...
tide/Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and New Years' carol
Carol (music)
A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with church worship, and often with a dance-like or popular character....
. The "fa-la-la" refrains were probably originally played on the harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
. The tune is Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, Nos Galan. In the eighteenth century Mozart used the tune to "Deck the Halls" for a violin and piano duet. The repeated "fa la la" is from medieval ballads and used in Nos Galan, the remaining lyrics are American in origin dating from the nineteenth century.
Lyrics
Note that the lines of the first two versions were not exclusive of one another and were often interchanged without preference. Various other versions remove or replace certain Fa la la lines with harp melodies.Sometimes the third, "New Year", version is a follow up.
Popular version "Deck the Halls"
- Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
- Fa la la la la, la la la la.
- 'Tis the season to be jolly,
- Fa la la la la, la la la la.
- Don we now our gay apparel'
- Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
- Troll the ancient Yule tideYuleYule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January...
carol, - Fa la la la la, la la la la.
- See the blazing YuleYule logA Yule log is a large and extremely hard log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in several European cultures...
before us, - Fa la la la la, la la la la.
- Strike the harp and join the chorusChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
. - Fa la la la la, la la la la.
- Follow me in merry measureBar (music)In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
, - Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
- While I tell of Yuletide treasure,
- Fa la la la la, la la la la.
- Fast away the old year passes,
- Fa la la la la, la la la la.
- Hail the new, ye ladsMaleMale refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
and lassesFemaleFemale is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
, - Fa la la la la, la la la la.
- Sing we joyous, all together,
- Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
- Heedless of the wind and weather,
- Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Alternate version "Deck the Hall"
- Deck the hall with bells and holly,
- Fa la la la la, la la la la.
- Tis the season to be jolly,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la.
- Don we now our bright apparel,
- Fa la la la, fa la la la.
- Troll the ancient Yuletide carol,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la.
- See the blazing Yule before us,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la.
- Strike the harp and join the chorus.
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la.
- Follow me in merry measure,
- Fa la la la, fa la la la.
- While I tell of yuletide treasure,
- Fa la la la la, la la la la.
- Fast away the old year passes,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la.
- Hail the new, ye lads and lasses,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la.
- Laughing, quaffingDrinkingDrinking is the act of consuming water or a beverage through the mouth. Water is required for many of life’s physiological processes. Both excessive and inadequate water intake are associated with health problems.-Physiology:...
, all together - Fa la la la, fa la la la.
- Heedless of the wind and weather,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la.
Note: in this version the third line of "Fa la la" is sometimes interpreted as "Fa, la la la, fa la la la" (Refer to Carols for Choirs 3)
Welsh Translation "New Year's Eve" or "Cold is the Man"
- Cold is the man who can't love,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la,
- The old mountains of dear Wales,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la,
- To him and his warmest friend,
- Fa la, Fa la, fa la la,
- A cheerful holiday next year,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la.
- To the troubled, cold are the bills,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la,
- Which come during the holidays,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la,
- Listening to a sermon in one verse,
- Ffa la, Ffa la, fa la la,
- Spending more than you earn,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la.
- Cold is the fire on Mount Snowdon,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la,
- Even though it has a flannel blanket on it,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la,
- Cold are the people who don't care,
- Ffa la, Ffa la, fa la la,
- To meet together on New Year's Eve,
- Fa la la la la, fa la la la.
History
The tune is that of an old WelshMusic of Wales
Wales has a strong and distinctive link with music. The country is traditionally referred to as "the land of song". This is a modern stereotype based on 19th century conceptions of Nonconformist choral music and 20th century male voice choirs, Eisteddfodau and arena singing, such as sporting...
air, first found in a musical manuscript by Welsh harpist John Parry Ddall
John Parry Ddall
John Parry , known as Parri Ddall, Rhiwabon was born in the Llŷn Peninsula, Caernarfonshire, now Gwynedd, in Wales, and was blind from birth....
(c. 1710–1782), but undoubtedly much older than that. The composition is still popular as a dance tune in Wales, and was published in the 1784 and 1794 editions of the harpist Edward Jones's Musical and Poetical Relics of the Welsh Bards. Poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
John Ceiriog Hughes
John Ceiriog Hughes
John Ceiriog Hughes , was a Welsh poet and well-known collector of Welsh folk tunes. Sometimes referred to as the "Robert Burns of Wales"...
wrote the first published lyrics for the piece in Welsh, titling it "Nos Galan" ("New Year's Eve"). A middle verse was later added by folk singers. In the eighteenth century the tune spread widely, with Mozart using it in a piano and violin concerto and, later, Haydn in the song "New Year's Night."
Originally, carols were dances and not songs. The accompanying tune would have been used as a setting for any verses of appropriate metre. Singers would compete with each other, verse for verse — known as canu penillion dull y De ("singing verses in the southern style"). The church actively opposed these folk dances. Consequently, tunes originally used to accompany carols became separated from the original dances, but were still referred to as "carols". The popular English lyrics for this carol are not a translation from the Welsh. The connection with
dancing is made explicit in the English lyrics by the phrase "follow me in merry measure" as "measure" is a synonym for dance. A collection of
such sixteenth and seventeenth century dances danced at the Inns of Court
Inns of Court
The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
are called the Old Measures
Old measures
Old measures, or simply measures, were a group of dances performed at ceremonial and festive occasions in Early Modern Britain. Some of the dances included in the measures were the pavane and the almain, and dances such as the galliard and the courante are also mentioned as accompanying or...
. Dancing itself having been previously suppressed by the church was revived during the renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
beginning in fifteenth century Italy .
During the Victorian re-invention of Christmas it was turned into a traditional English Christmas song. The first English language version appeared in The Franklin Square Song Collection, edited by J.P.McCaskey in 1881 and published by Harper & Brothers in New York City. See here for a more detailed summary of what various sources say about its history.
Charles Wood arranged a version, the words from Talhaiarn; translated by T. Oliphant. Oliphant died in 1873 and the first English version of 1881 is attributed to him.
SHeDAISY version
An adaptation of "Deck the Halls" was recorded by country musicCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
group SHeDAISY
SHeDAISY
SHeDAISY is an American country music group founded in the late 1980s by sisters Kristyn Robyn Osborn , Kelsi Marie Osborn , and Kassidy Lorraine Osborn from Magna, Utah...
that was made for their Christmas studio album Brand New Year
Brand New Year
Brand New Year is a Christmas album from country music trio SHeDAISY; it was released September 26, 2000. The renditions of "Deck the Halls" and "Jingle Bells" both charted on the Billboard country charts in 2000, peaking at #37 and #44, respectively.-Track listing:#"Deck the Halls" -...
and was featured in the Disney animated film Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas is a direct-to-video animated Christmas movie made by Walt Disney Home Video in 1999. The video features Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Pete, Goofy, Max, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey and Louie, Scrooge McDuck, Mortimer Mouse, Figaro the Kitten and Chip 'n...
. The music video features scenes of the movie. The single was released on November 9, 1999.
Chart performance
| Chart (2005-2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs | 37 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 61 |
Other
The characters in the comic strip PogoPogo
Pogo is the title and central character of a long-running daily American comic strip, created by cartoonist Walt Kelly and distributed by the Post-Hall Syndicate...
traditionally sang this song at Christmas, using nonsense lyrics, "Deck us all with Boston Charlie", and so on.
In parts of Canada it is common for children to sing ``Deck the halls with poison ivy``, a playground song based on Deck the Halls.
External links
- Free sheet music of Deck the Hall for SATB from Cantorion.org
- Musicanet.org