Deck the Hall – A Comprehensive History – Part 4

Part 3 completed the 1800s. Part 4 covers the 1900s and moves us into the modern era. It is in this time period the “folk song collecting” in Wales began in earnest, particularly with the Welsh Folk-Song Society. We’ll spend a bit of time exploring a wide variety of tunes in the Nos Galan family that illustrate the folk tune process, how tunes evolve over time. Also of note in Part 4 is the beginning of the most modern version of Deck the Hall, published in Father Finn’s Carol Book in 1917.

1903: New Year’s Eve – Harmonic Fourth Reader, by Frederic H. Ripley and Thomas Tapper (1903-HF-Ripley)

This is another version published by Ripley and Tapper as part of their “Natural Music Course,” different from the one in A Short Course in Music, published by them in 1898. That one was nearly identical to the Brinley Richards version from 1873 with English words by John Oxenford. This version, appearing on page 41, is nearly identical to the 1809 version by John Parry. Because the versions are so similar, I have not transcribed this version separately, but instead note the differences here:

• This version is notated as a duet.
• This version has attempted to rectify the error in the 3rd measure of the B part by repeating the third eighth note and adding an extra “la.”
• In the fourth verse “To the harp that sings so sweetly” has been changed to “To the harp that sounds so sweetly.”

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1906: New Year’s Eve – The National Song Book, edited and arranged by Charles Villiers Stanford (1906-NS-Stanford)

There are several versions of The National Song Book, A Complete Collection of the Folk-Songs, Carols, and Rounds, Suggested by The Board of Education (1905). Edited and Arranged for the Use of Schools by Charles Villiers Stanford. This one has standard and tonic sol-fa notation, while this one and this one, are both in standard notation only. The song is the same across all the versions.

The melody and the words are the same as the Brinley Richards version from 1873 with English words by John Oxenford and Welsh words by Ceiriog Hughes (“Soon the hoar old year will leave us / Oer yw’r gwr sy’n methu caru”). The accompaniment is different, and the song is arranged more compactly than Richards’, who wrote out every repeating verse.

The melody is so similar to the earlier version, however, that I have not transcribed it here. But I think it is important to note, with this version and the previous version, that even though Oliphant’s “Deck the Hall” lyrics were gaining popularity, the older versions had staying power, too.

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1907: Meum est Propositum – Pocket Book of Poems and Songs for the Open Air, compiled by Edward Thomas (1907-PB-Thomas)

This version is not noticeable because it is a particularly unique rendition of the melody, but rather because of the poetry chosen to accompany it.

The first verse in this version appears as the 12th stanza of a poem written called “Confession” by “The Archpoet,” (c. 1130-1165) which is “the name given to an anonymous 12th-century [1100s] author of ten medieval Latin poems, the most famous being his “Confession” found in the Carmina Burana manuscript (under CB 191), … he is cited as the best exemplar of Goliardic poetry and one of the stellar poets of the Latin Middle Ages.” according to Wikipedia. The poem is “purported to have been written in Pavia around the year 1163 for his patron as a confession and defense of his sins after a rival of the Archpoet witnessed and subsequently reported his reprobate behavior.”

The Carmina Burana mansuscript (Clm 4660) has been digitized by the Munich, Bavarian State Library. “The Confession” appears on folio 84r – 85v.

The twelfth stanza of that poem is the first in this printing. With English literal translation from Wikipedia:

Meum est propositum in taberna mori
Vinum sit appositum sitientis ori
Ut dicant cum viderint angelorum chori
Deus sit propitius huic potatori.

My purpose is to die in a tavern,
So that wine might be close to my dying mouth.
Then a choir of angels will happily sing,
“May God be merciful toward this drinker.”

‘The Archpoet,” Wikipedia

The other three verses in the Pocket Book do not appear in “The Confession” (see Medieval Latin, p. 556 – 571 and Biblioteca Augustana). The other verses are:

All four verses appear in the Sloane MS 2593, fol. 78r, owned by the British Library, which has not been digitized. The text was first printed in 1841 in The Latin Poems Commonly Attributed to Walter Mapes, Collected and Edited by Thomas Wright, which was printed for the Camden Society. It has been reprinted several times since then. Walter Map (c. 1130- c. 1210) was another medieval poet, contemporary to “The Archpoet,” and, according to Wikipedia, “was also said to have written a quantity of Goliardic poetry.”

I like that we have come back to satirical drinking verses. To keep things relatively hip, I’ll add that this verse strongly reminds me of a scene in the popular book and HBO show Game of Thrones, where Tyrion Lannister is on trial for murder, after being imprisoned in a cell with a wall open to a cliff. He tells his captors he wishes to confess, but instead of confessing to murder, he confesses to all of his other debaucheries, to the amusement of the audience and frustration of his enemies.

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1909: Nos Galan. – New Year’s Eve. – Treasury of Welsh Songs, edited by D. Emlyn Evans (1909-TW-Evans)

This version in Treasury of Welsh Songs, is another version with Welsh and English lyrics, almost all of which we’ve seen before. This version bears the ascriptions “Welsh words, traditional.” and “English words by Mrs. Grant.” However, only the second, third, and fourth (final) English verses are hers. They are the first, second, and fourth verses in the circa 1813 A Select Collection of Original Welsh Airs, Volume II, with music by Haydn. The first English verse, beginning “Sing a sweet melodious measure,” comes from the 1860 Gems of Welsh Melody, by John Owen, as do the first, second, and third Welsh verses, which Owen had described as “Specimens of Pennillion Singing.” The only new Welsh verse is the fourth and last. Here it is, with my rough translation:

Bum am bedair mlwydd ar hugen,
yn y coleg yn Rhydychen,
Yn y Lladin y dechreuais,
Yn y Lladin y diweddais.

I’ve been for four years and twenty,
At college in Oxford,
In Latin I started,
In Latin I finished.

Treasury of Welsh Songs, p. 26-27

Interestingly, the melody does not closely follow the patterns of either A Select Collection or Gems. Instead it seems to be a mishmash of elements found in many versions. For example, the first measure of the A part follows the two dotted quarter notes pattern only seen so far in the John Jenkins manuscript, circa 1817, and there are 3 distinct variations to the “A” part, while most versions only have 1 or 2. The chorus of the B part is also unique.

You should also note that the editor of this collection, D. Emlyn Evans, was also the arranger of Nicholas Bennett’s Alawon Fy Ngwlad: The Lays of My Land, published in 1896. Which brings me to another Evans publication called Gem Selection Songs of Wales, edited by A. W. Tomlyn and D. Emlyn Evans. Dr. Underwood mentions this version in his “Deck the Hall” article. He writes, “It was arranged for unison singing by Peter Lewis and is found on p. 110 – 111 of the Gem Selection Songs of Wales, edited by A. W. Tomlyn, Mus. Bac., and D[avid] Emlyn Evans [1843-1913] ; 4th edition, Edinburgh [, 1907 ]. … The four-stanza text is another of Mrs. Annie (Mac. Vicar) Grant’s poems. Its first stanza begins, “Sing a sweet melodious measure”… This English text is accompanied by a Welsh text.”

I was not able to find a digitized copy of Gem Selection Songs of Wales, but I was able to purchase a copy. I have found very few references to this work in other publications. The Bibliography of Wales No. 25, July 1908, records the following on p. 7:

Tomlyn (A. W., Mus. Bac.) and Evans (D[avid] Emlyn). editors. Gem Selection. Songs of Wales. [Staff and Solfa Notations.] Dundee, Valentine & Sons. [1907]. … 156 pp. 12 plates.”

The Bibliography of Wales No. 25, July 1908, p. 7

My copy must be a different from both the Underwood and Bibliography editions since it was published by “Andersons, Edinburgh, LTD. Publishers,” only has 136 pages, makes no reference to edition, and “New Year’s Eve” appears on pages 102-103 (not Underwood’s 110-111). My copy carries no copyright notice or date, but I will date it to circa 1907; and, because it is more than 70 years since the death of both authors, the book is in the public domain here in the US and in the UK. Therefore, I am free to share pictures from it.

Looking at my copy, I must note that Underwood is somewhat in error. First, in misattributing all of the English verses to Mrs. Grant, when, as stated above, “Sing a sweet melodious measure” belongs to the 1860 Owen version, not the circa 1813 Haydn/Grant version. Secondly, in asserting that Peter Lewis was the arranger. The pattern of attributions for the rest of the book is that when two names are listed, the first name is the author of the English words, while the second is name of the Welsh words.

The English words from Gem Selection and Treasury are the same, but the Welsh words are different. They are,

Mae hi’n awr yn Galan gaua’, Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.
Gwyddost am y rhew a’r eira, Fa, la, etc.
Dywed i mi’n ddigyfrinach, Fa, la, etc.
Pam na wisgi Lewys bellach, Fa, la, etc.

Oer yw’r ty heb dân y gaua’,
Oer yw’r cenllysg, oer yw’r eira,
Oer yw’r hin pan fo hi’n rhewi,
Oer yw merch heb Lewys ganddi.

Gwelais ganwaith Lewys gwynion,
Gan gyffredin a bon’ddigion,
Am dy weled mi rown fawrbris,
‘N dda dy le,yn ddu dy Lewys.

Arfer gan bob merch a welais,
Am ei breichiau wisgo llewys,
I’r gwrthwyneb dyro dithau,
Am dy Lewys gwisg dy freichiau.

Now is the time of New Year’s Eve,
You know because of the ice and snow,
Tell me no secret,
Why not whiskey now for Lewis?

Cold is the house without fire in winter,
Cold is the hail, cold is the snow,
Cold is the weather when it freezes,
Cold is a girl without Lewis with her.

–
–
For seeing you I value greatly,
Your place is good, your Lewis is black.

Practiced by every girl I’ve seen,
About her arms wearing sleeves,
On the contrary,
About your Lewis, adorn your arms.

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1911: Nos Galan. (New Year’s Night.) – The Story of the Carol, by Edmondstoune Duncan (1911-SC-Duncan)

The version included in Edmondstoune Duncan’s “The Story of the Carol,” is a simplified version “copied from Jones’s Welsh Bards (1794).” I note it here for the sake of completeness only.

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1911: Wrth Fyn’d Efo Deio Dywyn & Mae Nhw’n D’wedyd – “Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society” (1911-JWFSS-1, 1911-JWFSS-2, & 1911-JWFSS-3)

The early 1900s saw a shift in the interest in “national music,” from the harpists and their complex arrangements to the idea of capturing true folk music, the music as it was sung and played by every day people, with all its flaws and imperfections. It began with Jane Williams’ previously mentioned collection, published in 1844, but it took many more decades for her authentic recording style to gain traction.

One of the major collectors and proponents of the Welsh music revival was J. Lloyd-Williams. He wrote “Welsh National Melodies and Folk-Song” in 1909, which illuminates the state of affairs and begins to explain why these versions published by the Welsh Folk Song Society are so different from most of the versions examined so far.

First, he laments that

“although the country is now richer in vocal talent than it ever was, few of our vocalists understand how to sing the melodies properly. They apply to these simple airs the methods of the opera, and then attribute the ill success of the renderings to the poorness of the airs, rather than to their own faulty interpretation. And yet when the melodies are sung in a simple, unaffected manner, by singers that possess a loving insight into their genius, they never fail to reach the hearts of the people that listen to them.”

Welsh National Melodies and Folk-Song

He also describes some of the regional differences in the music.

“There can be no doubt that there is a great difference between the melodies of North Wales and those of the Southern part of the principality. In the former harp music prevailed, and penillion singing was cultivated by all who could sing at all, whereas in South Wales the song, in the ordinary sense of the word, predominated. In North Wales, owing perhaps to the prevalence of the harp, the tonality of the melodies seemed strikingly modern, and of the modal tunes that occurred the majority were Dorian. In South Wales, on the other hand, modal tunes were far more common, and many of them were in other modes than Dorian, or exhibited mixed, often eccentric tonality.”

Welsh National Melodies and Folk-Song

He also explains the three basic kinds of music found in Wales –

“the Harp Melodies, the Ballad Tunes, and the Folk-songs.” Most of what we’ve examined so far are the Harp Melodies, with “their chordal structure, the prevalence of arpeggios and extended scale passages, and the frequency of sequential melodic boldness of most of the airs. All these traits are due to the qualities of the instrument itself.” 

Welsh National Melodies and Folk-Song

Ballad tunes he describes a bit more harshly.

“Most of the typical ballad tunes came into existence without the intervention of a musical instrument – the were entirely vocal… the singers in many cases were uneducated men who wrote very inferior verse; most of them do not seem to have been moved to sing by any musical feeling, their only inspiration having been the desire to earn an honest penny… They are simple in structure, the only leaps occurring in the melody in many cases being to the 5th or 8th or some other strongly accented note at the commencement of a phrase, the remaining notes moving in stepwise succession.”

Welsh National Melodies and Folk-Song

And finally, the

“Folk-song proper was generally much superior to the ballad tune as music. It originated in a desire to sing, either for singing’s sake, or in order to express emotion, or to give better expression to certain lyrics that had taken the fancy of the singer.”

Welsh National Melodies and Folk-Song

That said,

“the three divisions are joined by intermediates. A few of the harp airs, such as “Morfa Rhuddlan,” and others, were occasionally utilised as ballad tunes; many of the folk melodies were as strikingly chordal in their structure as any of the harp melodies, while others were as purely vocal as were many of the ballad tunes. In both these classes modal tunes and melodies which are devoid of decided rhythmic feeling are frequent. Penillion singing often partook of the characteristics of folk-song. The mode of singing penillion in alternate solo and chorus, as in “Nos Galan”, “Hob y Deri”, and the various “Tribannau”, a style widely prevalent in both North and South Wales, might also be regarded as combining the characters of harp melody and folk-music.”

Welsh National Melodies and Folk-Song

While most of the versions of the Nos Galan melody we’ve seen so far come from the “harp” tradition, these variations come from the truly “folk song” tradition, and in some ways are a bridge between the two. Think of them as music “cousins,” descended from a common original, and varied over time to suit particular musical styles and limitations.

Wrth Fyn’d Efo Deio I Dywyn. No. 1

The first is a tune titled “10. Wrth Fyn’d Efo Deio I Dywyn. No. 1.” (1911-JWFSS-1) on page 132 of the Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society, Vol. 1, Part iii, 1911. It is captioned “A pennillion tune with refrain.” After the tune comes the attribution, 

“Noted by Mrs. Mary Davies from the singing of Mr. David Jones, stonemason, Barmouth, July, 1910; afterwards sung into the phonograph, April 1911. Mrs. Davies says: “In the 5th bar the note D in two separate records is a little sharper than D and less acute than D#.” Although this a penillion air, and occasionally sung to other words, it is most commonly associated with a long ballad describing the journey to Towyn (Merionethshire), and mentioning the names of the places passed on the way. The mixture of modes is very curious, especially when it is remembered that these Welsh folk-tunes hardly ever modulate. – Ed.”

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society

This tune is apparently one with “mixed” and “eccentric” tonality.

The words with the melody are:

Wrth fynd efo Dei-o i Dowyn, La la la la la la la la la la la.
Twy Dalyllyn mi awn yn llinyn, La la, &c.
Ac wrth basio Ynys Maengwyn, La la la la la la la la la.
D’wedodd Deio “Dacw Dowyn,” La la la la la la la la la la la.

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society

A Variant of the Above. No. 2.

The second version is titled “11. A Variant of the Above. No. 2.” (1911-JWFSS-2), on page 133 of the same journal. It includes the note,

“This form has been sent by two correspondents, but without particulars. In one case it was sung to the same words as above; in the other no words were given. The differences between the two copies are very slight. The Editor would be glad of further details. – Ed.”

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society

This version has fewer accidentals.

Additional Welsh words with English translation appear in Vol. I, part iv, 1912, p. 207:

1. Mi dderbyniais bwt o lythyr
Oddiwrth Mr. Jones o’r Brithdir,
Ac yn hwnnw ‘r oedd o’n gofyn
Awn i hefo Deio i Dywyu.

2. Bum yn hir yn sad gysidro
Prun oedd oreu nym’d ai peidio,
Ond wedi’r oll bu i mi gychwyn
Hefo Deio i ffwrdd i Dywyn.    

3. Fe gychwynwyd ar nos Wener,
Doed i Fawddwy erbyn swper;
Fe gawd yno uwd a menyn,
Wrth fyn’d hefo Deio i Dywyn.

4. Doed ymlaen ac heibio’r Dinas,
Caed bara a chaws a chwrw y’Ngwanas;
Trwy Dalyllyn yr aen ni’n llinyn,
Wrth fyn’d hefo Deio i Dywyn.

5. Doed drwy Abergynolwyn
Ac ymlaen dan Graig-y-Deryn;
Pan gyrhaeddsom Ynys Maengwyn
Gwaeddai Deio “Dacw Dywyn!”

6. Wedi aros yno dridie, 
Teg oedd edrych tuag adre;
A gruddiau lleirhion bu imi gychwyn
Hefo Deio adre o Dywyn.

7. Trow’d oddiyma am Fachynlleth,
Cawsom yno win a chyfleth;
Trwy Gwm Llyna doen yn llinyn
Hefo Deio adre o Dywyn.

8. Doen i Fallwyd at y clochydd,
Ni wnaen yno waith y prydydd.
Oddi yno doen trwy bentre Minllyn,
Hefo Deio adre o Dywyn.

9. Troen i mewn at Lowri’r Gadfa,
Ni gaen yno fwyd mi’m gwranta;
Ni ddoen wedyn i Lanwddyn
A dyna Deio adre o Dywyn.

10. Os byddai byw un flwyddyn eto,
Mynna’n helaeth iawn gynilo;
Mi ga’i bleser anghyffredin
Wrth fyn’d hefo Deio i Dywyn.

1. I received a short letter
From Mr. Jones of Brithdir,
And in that he was asking,
Would I go with Davy to Towyn.

2. For a long time I seriously considered,
Which was best, to go or not;
But after all I did start,
To go with Davy, away to Towyn.

3. We started on a Friday night, 
We came to Mawdawy in time for supper;
There we had porridge and butter,
When going with Davy to Towyn.

4. We came and passed the Dinas.
We had bread and cheese and beer in Gwanas;
Through Talyllyn we proceeded straight, 
When going with Davy to Towyn.

5. Then we came through Abergynolwyn,
And on, under Craig-y-Deryn;
When we arrived at Ynysmaengwyn,
Davy shouted, “There is Towyn.”

6. Having stayed there for three days,
We had to look towards home.
It was with tears in my eyes I started,
With Davy home from Towyn.

7. From here we directed our course to Machynlleth,
There we had wine and toffee;
Through Cwn Llyna in a straight line,
With Davy home from Towyn.

8. We came to Mallwyd, to the sexton,
There they would not serve the poet;
From there we came through the Village of Minllyn,
With Davy home from Towyn.

9. We turned in to Lowry Gadfa,
There we had plenty to eat, you may be sure;
Then we came to Llanwddyn,
And then Davy was home from Towyn.

10. If I shall live another year,
I shall be very thrifty,
I shall have much enjoyment
In going with Davy to Towyn.

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society

Mae Nhw’n D’wedyd

Finally, I’m also including a possibly more distant cousin, again in Vol. 1, Part iii, titled “7. Mae Nhw’n D’wedyd” (1911-JWFSS-3), also described as “A penillion tune with refrain.”

This description follows,

“Sung to the Editor at Colwyn Bay, July, 1910, by Mr. Cynfi Jones, Council School, Prenteg, near Portmadoc, after his mother, who had learnt it at Ebenezer near Llanberis, from an old woman, a native of Lleyn. It is an excellent example of the lighter form of Dorian melody. This tune, together with Nos. 8 and 10 in this number and Nos. 4 and 5 in Part II., are not associated with any particular lyrics. Any penillion of the right metre could be sung to them, whence they are termed “penillion tunes.” It must be clearly understood that they have no relation with the distinctively North Wales style of singing penillion, usually called “Canu gyda’r tannau” (lit. singing with the [harp] strings). The style here exemplified, though generally termed the South Wales style, was exceedingly common in North Wales also. Members of the company sang or extemporized verses in turn, and if there was a chorus, this was joined in by the rest of the company. Nos Galan and Hob-y-deri are well known examples of this kind of penillion singing. In the refrain of this tune, “ri-di-di” is pronounced “ree-dee-ree.” – Ed.”

Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society

This explanation of the different meanings of “pennillion” also sheds some light on the somewhat conflicting explanations of pennillion we’ve seen so far. There’s “harp” pennillion, where stanzas are sung in difficult to master counterpoint style, as well as “folk” pennillion, where various stanzas are sung to a familiar melody. Nos Galan seems to have been a tune to which both styles of pennillion were applied.

I realize it might seem like a bit of a stretch to say that these three tunes “sound like” the tune “Deck the Halls” as we know it today. And not every “penillion” folk tune that follows an A A B A pattern with a “fa la la” or “fal di ral” chorus should necessarily be considered another “version” of “Nos Galan.” That said, there are similarities that shouldn’t be overlooked, and given the wide range of “Nos Galan” varieties we’ve examined, I would feel remiss if these were not included in the discussion.

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1915: A Christmas Pastime – Holiday Entertainments, edited by Charles Shoemaker (1915-HE-Shoemaker)

“Holiday Entertainments,” published in 1915 and edited by Charles Shoemaker, is a collection of scripts and music geared towards families. A family might select from the book a play to perform for family and friends at a holiday party, or to act out amongst themselves for their own entertainment.

This version of “Nos Galan” is part of a play called “A Christmas Pastime; or, The Crying Family,” written by Mrs. L. A. Bradbury. It’s a sweet little play that begins with a family in distress. An assortment of months/holidays try to cheer them up, but the family turns them all away until “Old Christmas” arrives. We find out they’re sad because they know they were naughty and don’t deserve all the presents Old Christmas brought. But Christmas is Christmas, so we get a happy ending when they all learn a lesson and get the presents after all. The play ends with everyone singing this “Deck the Hall” variation.

This version is most similar to 1877-PASJ. First, the B part has once again been reduced to 2 measures by removing the chorus. Secondly, this version also features the altered chorus in the last A part, where the first four notes are the same. Finally, Bradbury kept all of the PASJ lyric changes, while making a few additional changes of her own. 

She did away with the three remaining “fa la la” choruses and replaced them with “Hail to thee, Old Christmas, hail to thee!” first, “Caroling together merrily” second, then lastly another “Hail…”. In the third stanza, “Hail the new, ye lads and lasses,” becomes “Greet the new ye lads and lassies,” and “Sing we joyous all together,” becomes “Sing once more, and all together.”

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1916: New Year’s Eve – Fourth Year Music, by Hollis Dann (1916-FY-Dann)

“Fourth Year Music” is a book of music to help children learn how to sing and read music, and “New Year’s Eve” is included. It includes the ascriptions “Traditional” and “Welsh Air, “Nos Galan”.” It very closely resembles 1903-HF-Ripley, including the extra “la la”s in the B part chorus, but this version has been simplified to one part. As with Ripley, the lyrics are the same “Hark the summons” from 1809-WM-Parry, but including only the first three verses. 

There are a few small differences between this version and both other differences between this and 1903-HF-Ripley and 1809-WM-Parry, however, because it is so similar overall and doesn’t feature any of its own particular innovations, it is not transcribed separately.

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1917: Deck the Hall – Father Finn’s Carol Book, by Father Finn (1917-FF-Finn)

Finally, we come to the last major “innovation,” moving us from “Nos Galan” to the familiar Christmas carol “Deck the Hall,” in the form that most of us are familiar with today. This form first appears as “Deck the Hall,” with the ascription “Old Welsh Air” in “Father Finn’s Carol Book,” 1917.

This version is most similar to 1877-PASJ, except that Father Finn has restored the two missing measures of the B part. Otherwise, the melody is the same, including the alteration to the chorus in the final A part, where the first four notes of the “fa la la” are the same note. Finn did alter the accompaniment and chording throughout, and this version has more complicated chord changes.

Finn also made a few minor changes to the lyrics as compared to 1877-PASJ, but keeping the alterations to Oliphant’s lyrics from 1866. Both references to Christmas, “Christmas carol” (stanza 1) and “Christmas treasure” (stanza 2), have been changed to “Yule-tide.” Finally, a small but notable difference is that despite the title of the song remaining “Deck the Hall,” singular, the first line of the lyrics runs, “Deck the halls…”, plural. 

This is not the first time for hall to change to halls, a variation still noticed and debated today. In fact, the first time I can find a reference to this change in print is in The Kindergarten Magazine, Vol. IV, No. IV, published in 1891. In an article featuring suggestions on how to celebrate Christmas with children, contributor Susan P. Clement of Racine Wisconsin writes,

“Sing with the children such songs as “Jolly Old St. Nicholas,” “Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly,” and as many beautiful Christmas carols as you know or can find” (p. 236). 

The Kindergarten Magazine

The same changes (halls, yuletide, return of the B chorus, repetition of notes in the final A chorus) appear in “Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly” in “Americanization Songs: Liberty Chorus Song Book for Home, School and Community Singing,” edited by Anne Shaw Faulkner, 1920 (1920-AS-Faulkner), with a slightly different accompaniment/chording.

“Deck the Hall” in “The Golden Book of Favorite Songs, Revised and Enlarged,” by John W. Beattie et al, Twentieth Edition, 1923 (1923-GB-Beattie) is almost identical, except that it does not include the repetition of notes in the final A chorus, and uses the older style instead. There are a few small changes to the chording/accompaniment as well.

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1920: “Penillion Singing” & “Hefo Deio i Dywyn” – Alawon Gwerin Cymru. Welsh Folk Songs Arranged for Schools, Vol. II, by J. Lloyd Williams and L. D. Jones (Llew Tegid) (1920-WF-Williams-1, 1920-WF-Williams-2)

With these two arrangements we’ve moved away from “Deck the Hall” and back towards more modern folk song collecting. Both appear in “Alawon Gwerin Cymru. Welsh Folk Songs Arranged for Schools, Vol. II,” published in 1920, which was “Issued with the approval of the Welsh Folk Song Society.” J. Lloyd-Williams was responsible for the arrangements, and L. D. Jones (Llew Tegid) was responsible for the lyrics, both providing his own in Welsh and English and finding and editing traditional words. I’m including both because they are both good examples of the two types of “pennillion” songs.

The first, “Penillion Singing,” (1920-WF-Williams-1) is an excellent example of traditional harp-style penillion singing, where the instrumentalist plays the traditional air, in this case “Nos Galan,” and the singer accompanies with counterpoint lyrics. The second, “Hefo Deio i Dywyn,” (1920-WF-Williams-2) is an example of the folk style of penillion singing, where one song can have many verses, and includes a “la la la” refrain. It is related to the earlier songs published by the Welsh Folk Song Society, and most closely to 1911-JWFSS-1.

Penillion Singing (1920-WF-Williams-1)

This information is included with “Penillion Singing,”

“In penillion singing it has to be remembered that the voices do not sing the words to the melody. The tune is played by the harp or piano, while the singers chant the words to other notes, which of course have to harmonize with the notes played by the instrument. The singer is not allowed to commence with the first note of the air, but must finish with the last beat in the tune (or section of the tune). As the words are regarded as of greater importance than the melody, due attention must be paid to length of vowel, and to accent and emphasis. Slurring is not allowed, nor should there be any pauses or any display of special notes; in a word the part sung by the voices should be as simple as possible. Clever singers vary their notes in the different verses, two different parts are given here for different verses, and as pointed above, these may be varied provided they do not violate the rules of harmony. Other verses and other metres may also be sung to the tune.

“Nos Galan” was first published by John Parry, of Ruabon, in 1781. It became popular in England before the end of the eighteenth century and in Wales retained its popularity to this day. In order to secure variety some of the singers may be allowed to sing the melody to la-la, but care should be taken to subdue the singing as soon as the singing of the words starts, in order that the words may be understood.”

Alawon Gwerin Cymru

The arrangement is ascribed “Welsh and English words by Llew Tegid,” although no English words accompany the tune. The Welsh lyrics are:

1. A’u goreu gan, mae Cymry gwiw,
  Mewn elfen fyw am foli,
Yn lliaws llon, a llais a llaw, 
  Yn ddidaw mynnant ddodi
Anrhydedd gwir a hoen a hwyl, 
  Ar dawel ddydd Gwyl Dewi.

(2) Mae teulu’r gaea’ blin a’i bla 
  Yn gweld yr hâ’n sirioli,
Wrth weld Ceninen Cymru wen, 
  I entrych nen yn codi;
A gweld yr hen Gymraeg mewn hwyl, 
  O’r diwedd ar Wyl Dewi.   

3. Daw Cymru eto’n uwch i’r lan,
  Hi gaiff ei rhan o fawrfri,
Ar ol his lechu yn y pant,
  Fe ddaw ei phlant i’w chodi,
Am oreu fawl i Gymru fydd,
  Y dywed Dydd Gwyl Dewi.

4. Dydd ydyw hwn, a phwy a wad?
  I godi gwlad y cewri,
I goffa bardd a cherddor hen,
  A meibion llen ei llewyn;
A mawl i’r sant a’r milwr sydd
  I’w dywallt Ddydd Gwyl Dewi.

5. A dyma’r lle, chwi Gymru llon,
  I ddisgynyddion cewri,
I godi’r hen Geninen werdd,
  A nyddu cerdd a dyri;
Yn wych ei ffawd a iach ei ffydd,
  Boed Awen Ddydd Gwyl Dewi.

6. Y delyn sydd yn dilyn sain
  Perodlau cain y ddyri,
Nes twymo calon Cymro pur,
  Anghofia’i gur a’i dlodi;
Does undyn drwy’r holl wlad yn brudd
  Na diog Ddydd Gwyl Dewi.

Alawon Gwerin Cymru

Hefo Deio i Dywyn (1920-WF-Williams-2)

The Welsh words in “Hefo Deio i Dywyn” (1920-WF-Williams-2) are the nearly identical to the first 5 verses printed in the Welsh Folk Song Society Journal, Vol. I, part iv, 1912, p. 207, included in the earlier section. Llew Tegid provided his own English words, which are not a direct translation:

1. I received an invitation, Tra la la la la la la la Tra la la
From a dear and old relation, Tra la la la la la la la Tra la la
And I started on the journey, Tra la la la la Tra la la la
To see Swainson down in Swansea. Tra la la la la la Tra la la la la
Tra la la la la la la la Tra la la 

2. It was just the thing I’d relish,
With my gloves and cane quite stylish, 
For I knew it would be jolly, 
To see Swainson down in Swansea.

3. Every one within the village, 
Loudly praised my luck and courage,
To the station came to see me
Go to Swainson down in Swansea.

4. “Right away,” and off we scamper, 
Like a whirlwind in a temper,
It was bliss itself to fancy
Seeing Swainson down in Swansea.

5. Sudden stop – the door was opened,
I don’t know howe’er it happened,
I was landed in Treorkey, 
Ne’er saw Swainson, ne’er saw Swansea.

Alawon Gwerin Cymru

Regarding “Hefo Deio I Dywyn,” Lloyd-Williams writes,

This penillion tune with “La, la” refrain is exceedingly popular in North Wales, particularly in Merionethshire. Two variants are published in the “Welsh Folk Song Journal” (I. p. 132); the one that most nearly resembles the form used in this book was “noted by Mrs. Davies from the singing of Mr. David Jones, Barmou, July, 1910.” A very different form has appeared in “Y Tant Aur” – the penillion singing book published by David Roberts, the Harpist, and other forms have been collected by the Musical Editor.”

Alawon Gwerin Cymru

Of all the variations and arrangements I’ve examined in the course of writing this history, this was probably the most challenging, and my favorite. This “folk tune,” a class of music which suffered so much derision from musicians for so many centuries, really has it all – it’s minor, it uses the harmonic minor, it modulates into a different key for the B part, and it’s crooked! These are some really advanced musical concepts showing up in a supposedly “rustic” tune. Lloyd-Williams’ arrangement is absolutely beautiful, and I’m impressed by his ability to do the haunting melody justice. It’s worth diving into some musical theory to appreciate this song.

I owe special thanks to Bill Wake for his music theory expertise in helping me understand and decipher the arrangement. Most of the following musical theory is paraphrased from discussion with him.

For the most part, this arrangement is in the key of E minor, which is the same scale as the E Aeolian mode. To get from the E major scale, E F# G# A B C# D# E, to the E natural minor scale, we flat the 3rd, 6th, and 7th notes of the scale: E F# G A B C D E. This gives us the Aeolian whole and half step pattern W H W W H W W. The E minor scale is the called the relative minor of the G scale because they share the same key signature (one sharp, F#). 

In the third measure of the A part, however, we have an additional sharp, D#. D# is part of the harmonic minor scale, where instead of flatting the 3rd, 6th, and 7th notes of the E major scale, we only flat the 3rd and 6th: E F# G A B C D# E. This changes the pattern to W H W W H W+H H. Why would we want to make this change? One reason is so that the 5 chord of the scale is B major, B D# F#, rather than B minor, B D F#. The other reason is to reduce the distance between the last note of the scale, in this case the D, and the octave, the E at the top. When that step is a half step instead of a whole step, the note very strongly leads to the next note, and in fact it’s known as a “leading tone.” You can hear the difference here:

The harmonic minor comes into play again in the 4th measure of the A part. The second chord uses a D#, so instead of being a Bm chord (B D F# A), it’s a B7 (B D# F# A). 

The B part modulates up from E minor to the fifth of the E minor scale, the B minor scale. The B part also sometimes uses the harmonic minor scale. The B major scale is B C# D# E F# G# A#, so the B natural minor scale is B C# D E F# G A and the B harmonic minor scale is B C# D E F# G A#. If we look at the notes in the B part we see that we now have C#s, Ds but no D#s, F#s, Gs but no G#s, some A#s and some As. That means that sometimes it’s using the natural B minor, with the A, as in the D chord in the third measure, and sometimes it’s using the harmonic B minor, with the A#, as in the F#7 chord in the second measure and in the first half of the third measure.

We’ve covered this song being minor, using the harmonic minor, and modulating; now for that last very special feature, being “crooked.” A crooked tune is a song with a non-standard number of measures. This tune is crooked because in the last A part it has an additional “Tra la la” chorus that adds two measures to the song. This means our song structure, rather than being the typical A A B A structure, where each part has an equal 4 measures, is more like an A A B A+,  4 measures + 4 measures + 4 measures + 6 measures. Lloyd-Williams has rounded out this crookedness somewhat by adding another two extra bars of “outro”.

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1928: Nos Galan (Winter) – Oxford Book of Carols, by Percy Dearmer, R. Vaughan Williams, and Martin Shaw (1928-OB- Dearmer)

The final nearly public domain version of the song that I could find appears in the Oxford Book of Carols, first published in 1928. Despite the later date, and possibly because it was published in England rather than America, this version harkens back to earlier arrangements. It’s titled “Nos Galan,” rather than any form of “Deck the Hall.”

The lyrics, attributed to “Pr. [Pastor] K. E. Roberts,” are the most religious so far, with “All ye mountains, praise the Lord,” replacing the “fa la la” chorus. The final chorus follows the older patterns rather than the newer pattern that first appeared in the PASJ version, where the first four notes of the chorus are the same.

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Modern Notation

I found several examples of free, modern sheet music (Michael Kravchuk, Kyle Coughlin, and ToPlayAlong.com), all of which follow the patterns established in the Father Finn version from 1917.

In addition to all the arrangements here, there are many other modern arrangements for mountain dulcimer, some free, like this one in DAD and DAA on EverythingDulcimer.com, or you can support an artists and buy digital copies of their holiday music books which contain Deck the Halls:

• Stephen Seifert’s Come Let Us Adore Him
• Bing Futch’s Mountain Dulcimer in the Band Book 4 (He also has an excellent Dulcimerica episode for his arrangement)
• Judy House’s Christmas Songs for the Dulcimer

These arrangements also follow the 1917-FF-Finn patterns.

June 2022 Update: This article was originally published in November 2020 as one continuous article. The number of PDFs attached, however, seemed to overwhelm my website’s servers. I have broken it up into multiple parts to try to alleviate the strain. This change required updating a lot of links, and I apologize if I have missed any.

It’s hard to believe that I published this collection over a year and a half ago. The tune has continued to haunt me, and I have somewhat unsteadily continued my research. In particular, I hope to soon add more information to the Welsh Folk-Song Society section, as I have noticed several more tunes in the Nos Galan “family” that I think merit inclusion. I’ve found a few British and Scottish tunes that I think might be tangentially related as well.

In the future, I hope to include a tune graph reference to trace the relationships of all of these tunes.