Deck the Halls

For other uses, seeDeck the Halls (disambiguation).

"Deck the Halls”is a traditionalChristmas carol.The melody isWelsh,dating back to the sixteenth century,and belongs to a winter carol, "Nos Galan",while the English lyrics, written by the Scottish musicianThomas Oliphant,date to 1862.

Lyrics

"'Tis the season"redirects here. For other uses, see'Tis the Season.

Thomas Oliphant's original English words as they appear inWelsh Melodies With Welsh and English Poetry(volume 2), published in 1862

The English-language lyrics were written by the Scottish musicianThomas Oliphant.They first appeared in 1862, in volume 2 ofWelsh Melodies,a set of four volumes authored byJohn Thomas,includingWelshwords byJohn Jones (Talhaiarn)and English words by Oliphant.The original English lyrics, as published in 1862, run as follows (later variants are discussed below):

Deck the hall 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!
Fill the meadcup, drain the barrel,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
Troulthe ancient Christmas carol.
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!

See the flowing bowl before us,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
Strike the harp, and join in chorus:
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
Follow me in merry measure,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
While I sing of beauty's 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 lads and lasses:
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
Laughing quaffing all together,
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
Heedless of the wind and weather.
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!

The phrase "'Tis the season",from the lyrics, has become synonymous with theChristmas and holiday season,'tisbeing an archaic contraction of "it is".

Variants

Pennsylvania School Journal, 1877

A variation of the lyrics appears in the December 1877 issue of thePennsylvania School Journal.This version, in which there is no longer any reference to drinking, runs as follows:

Deck the hall with boughs of holly,
'Tis the season to be jolly,
Don we now our gay apparel,
Troll the ancient Christmas carol,

See theblazing yulebefore us,
Strike the harp and join the chorus.
Follow me in merry measure,
While Itell of Christmas treasure,

Fast away the old year passes,
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses!
Sing we joyousall together,
Heedless of the wind and weather,

An identical printing appeared four years later inThe Franklin Square Song Collection.

The pluralizing of the title of the carol to "Deck theHalls"is found as early as 1892.

Other common alterations replace the word "Christmas" with "Yule" or "Yuletide". For example, "Christmas carol" may be changed to "Yuletide carol" and "Christmas treasure" to "Yuletide treasure". Yule is used in modern times as another word for Christmas and the Christmas season, though the word has origins in an ancient Germanicmidwinter festival.

Welsh lyrics

In the original 1862 publication, Oliphant's English lyrics were published alongside Talhaiarn'sWelshlyrics. Although some early sources state that Oliphant's words were atranslationof Talhaiarn's Welsh original,this is not the case in any strict or literal sense. The first verse in Welsh, together with a literal English translation taken from Campbell'sTreatise on the language, poetry, and music of the Highland Clans(1862), is given for comparison:

Goreu pleser ar nos galan,
Tŷ a thân a theulu diddan,
Calon lân a chwrw melyn,
Pennill mwyn a llais y delyn,

The best pleasure on new year's eve,
Is house and fire and a pleasant family,
A pure heart and blonde ale,
A gentle song and the voice of the harp

Melody

First known publication of the melody "Nos Galan" (1794) by the Welsh harpistEdward Jones.

The melody of "Deck the Hall" is taken from "Nos Galan" ( "New Year's Eve" ), a traditional Welsh New Year's Eve carol published in 1794, although it is much older.In 1912,Ruth Herbert Lewismade awax cylinderrecording of a Welshman named Benjamin Davies singing a song, "Can y Coach faier", which uses the old melody now associated with "Deck the Halls". The recording can be heard on theBritish Library Sound Archivewebsite.

The music is inAABA form.

Variants

The Pennsylvania version from 1877 omits the third "Fa la la" line (which corresponds to the instrumental flourish in the Welsh original).

The third and fourth "Fa la la" lines sung to the words "Deck the Hall" differ from those sung or played in Wales, the fourth having a more arpeggiated melody in the Welsh version and the third differing in both melody and rhythm.

History

The tune is that of an oldWelshair,first found in a musical manuscript by Welsh harpistJohn Parrydating back to the 1700s. He published it inBritish Harmony Being a Collection of Antient Welsh Airs The traditional Remains of those Originally Sung By the Bards of Wales.PoetJohn Ceiriog Hugheslater wrote his own lyrics. A middle verse was later added byfolk singers.In the eighteenth century the tune spread widely, withMozartallegedly using it inhis 18th violin sonata(1778)and laterHaydnarranged it in under the Welsh title, "Nos galan" (Hob.XXXIb: 29, 1803).

The Welsh and English lyrics found in the earliest publication of the "Nos Galan" melody are as follows:

O mor gynnes mynwes meinwen,
fal lal lal lal lal lal lal lal la.
O mor fwyn yw llwyn meillionen,
fal lal lal lal lal lal lal lal la.
O mor felus yw'r cusanau,
[instrumental flourish]
Gyda serch a mwynion eiriau
fal lal lal lal lal lal lal lal la.

Oh! how soft my fair one's bosom,
fal lal lal lal lal lal lal lal la.
Oh! how sweet the grove in blossom,
fal lal lal lal lal lal lal lal la.
Oh! how blessed are the blisses,
[instrumental flourish]
Words of love, and mutual kisses,
fal lal lal lal lal lal lal lal la.

Charts

Nat King Cole version

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Deck the Halls" by Nat King Cole

Chart (1960–2024)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	50
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)	34
Global 200(Billboard)	31
Italy (FIMI)	55
Lithuania (AGATA)	71
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	80
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)	68
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)	95
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	74
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	60
UK Singles(OCC)	67
USBillboardHot 100	16
USHoliday 100(Billboard)	13

All-time charts

All-time chart performance for "Deck the Halls" by Nat King Cole

Chart	Position
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)	63

See also

• List of Christmas carols

External links

• Free scores of Deck the Hallin theChoral Public Domain Library(ChoralWiki)
• Freesheet musicof "Deck the Halls" for SATB from Cantorion.org