Deck the Halls

Lots of fa la la la la and boughs of holly, plus the chance to sing along with piano and a jazz band.

Hello!

This carol originally had nothing to do with Christmas (same as Jingle Bells). Instead, and as with so many songs written in the 17^th century, Nos Galan, as it was called,  was all about celebrating winter and the new year. And love, as you can see from this translation of the original Welsh lyrics:

Oh! How soft my fair one’s bosom

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Oh! How sweet the grove in blossom

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Oh! How blessed are the blisses

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Words of love, and mutual kisses

Fa la la la la, la la la la

It wasn’t until the 19^th century that songs specifically about Christmas became really popular. But why invent something new when you can hijack an existing beautiful melody instead? And thus the Deck the Halls we know and love and mispronounce (what is a bough and how do you say it?) came into being, with new (chaste) English words by Thomas Oliphant:

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 tide carol

Fa la la la la, la la la la

And those boughs? Bunches of freshly cut holly hung indoors were considered to bring good luck and symbolise protection and eternal life (and also fertility, which makes me think those original Welsh lyrics were on the right track).

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Music theory and practice: fa la la la la style

This song has the kind of flowing melody that carries you along with it, making it fun to sing. It has a mix of long and short notes that keep moving up and down, similar to running up and down a set of stairs:

(For more on how notes move go to How to read and hear the ups and downs of how notes move and Travelling along the yellow brick road)

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So far I’ve recorded accompaniments for Jingle Bells and Silent night, and this week you can sing Deck the Halls with piano and a jazz band.

Piano

As always, you’ll hear me count you in (1234), followed by a short introduction.

With me singing, to get you started:

Piano only:

Jazz Band

And here it is with a jazz band. You’ll hear some unfamiliar sounding chords, so you might like to listen to it a couple of times first, try humming along, or just go for it!

With me singing the whole thing so you can get an idea of the feel of it:

Band only, so you’re on your own (don’t forget there’s a short introduction):

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