"Deck the Halls" or "Deck the Hall" (which is the 1877 title) is a traditional Christmas, yuletide, and New Years' carol. The melody is Welsh dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, "Nos Galan", while the English lyrics date to 1862.

The English lyrics first appeared (still called "Nos Galan") in volume 2 of Welsh Melodies, a set of four volumes authored by John Thomas with Welsh words by John Jones (Talhaiarn) and English words by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, although the repeated "fa la la" goes back to the original Welsh "Nos Galan" and may originate from medieval ballads. The song is in AABA form. The series Welsh Melodies appears in four volumes, the first two in 1862, the third in 1870 and the final volume in 1874. As can be seen from the translation of "Nos Galan" below, "Deck the Hall(s)" is not a translation but new words by Oliphant to an old song.

Nos Galan

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. The Welsh and English lyrics supplied there are as follows:

Lyrics

"'Tis the season" redirects here. For other uses, see 'Tis the season (disambiguation).

The modern lyrics were published in Welsh melodies: with Welsh and English poetry of 1862. The English lyrics were by Thomas Oliphant, translated from the Welsh of Talhaiarn. They also appear in The Song Book edited by John Hullah, originally published in 1866. They run as follows:

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

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 la.

Troul the 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 the chorus.

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Follow me in merry measure,

Fa la 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 la.

Heedless of the wind and weather,

Fa la la la la la la la la.

A variant of the lyrics is found in American printings of 1877 and 1881:

The publication of "Deck the Hall" in 1877: it is notable for omitting the two-bar instrumental flourish from the Welsh original, which became a further "Fa la la" in later versions

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.

Don we now our gay apparel

Troll the ancient Christmas carol,

Fa la la la la la la la la.

See the blazing yule before us,

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Strike the harp and join the chorus.

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Follow me in merry measure,

While I tell of Christmas 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.

Sing we joyous all together,

Heedless of the wind and weather,

Fa la la la la la la la la.

Variants

The major difference from the current version is the omission of the third "Fa la la" line in the early printings (which corresponds to the instrumental flourish in the Welsh original). The alteration of the first line to "Deck the halls" (plural) is found as early as the 1930s: both "hall" and "halls" are found today.

The third and fourth "Fa la la" lines sung to the words "Deck the Halls" 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.

Other common alterations change "Christmas" to "Yule" or "Yuletide" in various locations where it appears. For example, "Christmas carol" may be changed to "Yuletide carol".

In the eighteenth century Mozart used the melody for a violin and piano duet, Sonata No. 18.

History

The tune is that of an old Welsh air, first found in a musical manuscript by Welsh harpist John Parry dating back to the 1700s. Poet John Ceiriog Hughes later wrote his own lyrics. 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"). 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.

In 1862, Thomas Oliphant's English lyrics, "Deck the Hall With Boughs of Holly", appears in Welsh Melodies with Welsh and English Poetry, volume 2. published by Addison, Hollier and Lucas, 210 Regent Street, London, England. The Welsh melody with English lyrics then appeared in the December 1877 issue of the Pennsylvania School Journal, with the melody, described as a "Welsh Air" appearing in four-part harmony. The melody is substantially today's, except that the third "Fa la la" is omitted. An identical printing appeared four years later in The Franklin Square Song Collection.

Charles Wood arranged a version, the words from Talhaiarn; translated by Thomas Oliphant. Oliphant died in 1873 and the English version of the 1881 publication (The Franklin Square Song Collection) is also attributed to Oliphant.

Contemporary versions

Red Hot Chili Peppers version

Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded a joke version of the song. It was released as a very rare jukebox-only 7-inch single and was included on their 1994 outtakes compilation, Out in L.A.. The song "Knock Me Down" from the band's 1989 album, Mother's Milk, was included as a b-side.

SHeDAISY version

In 1999, an adaptation of "Deck the Halls" was released by country music group SHeDAISY for the Disney animated film Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas. The song was later included on the group's Christmas album, Brand New Year, released in 2000. The music video filmed for the song features scenes from Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas.

Chart performance

Chart (1999–2001)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)	37
US Billboard Hot 100	61

References

1. ^ Hullah, John (1866). The song book; words and tunes from the best poets and musicians. London: Macmillan. p. 325. OCLC 4340310. 
2. ^ Carols.org. Last accessed December 13, 2011.
3. ^ Boyd, Jack (1991). Encore!: A Guide to Enjoying Music, p. 31. ISBN 978-0-87484-862-5.
4. ^ Jones, Edward (1794). Musical and poetical relicks of the Welsh bards. London. p. 159. 
5. ^ Thomas, John; Talhaiarn; Thomas Oliphant (1862). Welsh melodies: with Welsh and English poetry. London: Addison, Hollier and Lucas. p. 139. OCLC 63015609. 
6. ^ e.g. Lenski, Lois (1936). Phebe Fairchild, her book. New York, NY: Frederick A. Stokes Co. p. 75. OCLC 1667346. 
7. ^ "Christmas carols -- William Studwell's Christmas Carols of the Year series - chicagotribune.com". The Chicago Tribune (Tribune Newspapers). 2010. Retrieved 2011-10-08. 
8. ^ Wickersham (ed.), J.P. (1877). The Pennsylvania School Journal, vol. xxvi. Lancaster, PA: Inquirer Printing and Publishing Company. p. 226. 
9. ^ McCaskey, J.P. (1881). Franklin Square Song Collection. New York: Harper and Brothers. p. 120. 
10. ^ The Franklin Square Song Collection
11. ^ "Red Hot Chili Peppers — Deck The Halls (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-11-15. 
12. ^ "SHeDAISY – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for SHeDAISY.
13. ^ "SHeDAISY – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for SHeDAISY.

• Pages 159–160 in Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards, Edward Jones: London, Printed for the Author, 1794. Available on Google Digital