Deck the Halls
The Welsh New Year tune Nos Galan with its English Christmas words, in the four parts of a 1923 American songbook, for 2 to 4 singers: the first verse, bright and quick. Every "fa la la" is where the harmony happens: the alto sings most of them a third under the tune, one note to a syllable, over the tenor's and bass's steady notes, and the rising "fa la la" in the middle climbs to the song's top note.
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The first verse
Words: Traditional English, as printed in The Golden Book of Favorite Songs (1923)Tune: "Nos Galan", traditional Welsh (in print by 1781)
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,Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, Fa la la la la, la la la la.
About Deck the Halls
Deck the Halls is sung to a Welsh tune, Nos Galan, which means New Year's Eve; it was in print by 1781, in John Parry's British Harmony, and the harpist Edward Jones printed it in 1784. The English words are Thomas Oliphant's, a Scottish musician, printed in 1862 in a book of Welsh melodies. Our arrangement is read from the four parts of The Golden Book of Favorite Songs, an American songbook of 1923, in E-flat. This is the first verse for 2 to 4 singers, bright and quick: the alto sings most of the "fa la la"s a third under the tune, and the rising "fa la la" in the middle climbs to the song's top note.
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