FANTASIA on CHRISTMAS CAROLS For Chorus and Orchestra by  Ralph Vaughan-Williams (1872-1958)



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Ralph Vaughan Williams c. 1920

Some familiar carols appear in fragments subtly embedded here and there in the choral and orchestral textures. Listen carefully, and you may be able to spot them. It doesn't matter if you do or don't, because the whole piece is a grand and glorious pastiche or quodlibet of extrardinarily high quality.
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A Cherished Relic from My Childhood

BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

from 

NEPTUNES’s DAUGHTER (1946)

with

Esther Williams

Ricardo Montalban

Red Skelton

Betty Garrett

Only an Agenda-Driven, Power-Mad LEFTIST

 With a Warped View of Life Could Try 

To Make Something Smutty Out of 

This Delightful Bit of Fluff from a 

Regrettably Bygone Era

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M_E_A_N_W_H_I_L_E:

OFFERED FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:

She was beautiful, but she was made entirely of ice–glittering dazzlng ice

The Opening Paragraphs of 

The Snow Queen 

by 

Hans Christian Andersen

They even wanted to fly up to heaven with it to mock the angels

Now we are about to begin, and you must attend; and when we get to the end of the story, you will know more than you do now about a very wicked hobgoblin. He was one of the worst kind; in fact he was a real demon. 

One day he was in a high state of delight because he had invented a mirror with this peculiarity, that every good and pretty thing reflected in it shrank away to almost nothing. On the other hand, every bad and good-for-nothing thing stood out and looked its worst. 

The most beautiful landscapes reflected in it looked like boiled spinach, and the best people became hideous, or else they were upside down and had no bodies. Their faces were distorted beyond recognition, and if they had even one freckle it appeared to spread all over the nose and mouth. 

The demon thought this immensely amusing. If a good thought passed through any one's mind, it turned to a grin in the mirror, and this caused real delight to the demon. 

All the scholars in the demon's school, for he kept a school, reported that a miracle had taken place: now for the first time it had become possible to see what the world and mankind were really like. ...

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Hans Christian Andersen 1805-1875)

IF YOU THNK THOSE WORDS DON'T APPLY TO WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE and ALL OVER THE WORLD TODAY–– PLEASE THINK AGAIN, BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T BE MORE WRONG. THE LANGUAGE OF SYMBOLISM IS VERY POWERFUL ONCE YOU LEARN HOW TO READ IT.

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O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL!
One of Those Very Special Occasions  When the Music, Itself, is So Beautifully Performed It Conveys the Meaning and Power of the Words Better Than the Words
L___I___S___T___E___N___!

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

and ransom captive Israel

that mourns in lonely exile here

until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, thou Wisdom from on high,

who ordered all things mightily;

to us the path of knowledge show

and teach us in its ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, O come, great Lord of might,

who to your tribes on Sinai's height

in ancient times did give the law

in cloud and majesty and awe. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,

unto your own and rescue them!

From depths of hell your people save,

and give them victory o'er the grave. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, O Key of David, come

and open wide our heavenly home.

Make safe for us the heavenward road

and bar the way to death's abode. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, thou Bright and Morning Star,

and bring us comfort from afar!

Dispel the shadows of the night

and turn our darkness into light. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to thee, O Israel!

O come, O King of nations, bind

in one the hearts of all mankind.

Bid all our sad divisions cease

and be yourself our King of Peace. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

shall come to thee, O Israel!

Politically-Correct 

Seasonal Tonal Arrangements

Can You Name the Tune That Goes With 

Each of These Updated First Lines?

1. Away from all danger our youth must be led

Kept free from all challenges, always well fed …

2. Hark, the bells must never ring

They shan’t celebrate a thing …

3. No blame at midnight should appear

Nor foolish assertions bold …

4. Things must go well when we’re told what to say

It is certain your leaders must always hold sway …

5. Fill every night with sheer delight

Just stay calm, please don’t fight …

6. O come and be faithless

Toss out myths divisive …

7. Boys can be girls. The time has come.

Let earthlings be deceived …

8. Get rested, act like gentleman

Remain above the fray …

9. Danger lives where things get gory

Sing of naught but endless mirth 

10. Acting wise is utmost folly

Everyone’s the same tra la la la! …

11. O, Evergreen, O, Evergreen

We love your fragrant branches …

12. We wish you a pleasant day off

We wish  you a pleasant day off

We wish you a pleasant day off

Where no one sheds a tear …

Get it?