'Tis The Season Soundtrack

Featuring a special selection of 12 of the most popular, traditional Christmas Carols sung a Capella by The This 'n That Films Christmas Singers in a recording arranged specifically for the film.
Many of these songs are from 'Tis The Season which has additional a Capella music sung by the Voices of Christmas.

 1. Here We Come a-Wassailing - 1:28

English traditional Christmas carol and New Year song, apparently composed c. 1850. The old English wassail song refers to 'wassailing', or singing carols door to door wishing good health, while the a- is an archaic intensifying prefix; compare A-Hunting We Will Go and lyrics to The Twelve Days of Christmas (e.g., "Six geese a-laying").

2. Fum, Fum, Fum - 1:31

Originated in the 16th or 17th century. The word "fum" means smoke in Catalan, and it may simply refer to the smoke rising from a chimney as seen from afar, or, as indicated in the New Oxford Book of Carols, "may imitate the sound of a drum (or perhaps the strumming of a guitar)". It is not typical of Spanish tradition but rather of Catalan tradition. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) defines "fum" as "to play upon a fiddle," quoting Ben Jonson, "Follow me, and fum as you go."

3. O Come, All Ye Faithful - 1:35

A carol which has been attributed to various authors, including John Francis Wade (1711–1786), John Reading (1645–1692) and King John IV of Portugal (1604–1656), with the earliest manuscript of the hymn bearing his name, located in the library of the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa.

4. Coventry Carol - 1:38

English carol dating from the 16th century. The carol was traditionally performed in Coventry in England as part of a mystery play called The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. The carol itself refers to the Massacre of the Innocents, in which Herod ordered all male infants under the age of two in Bethlehem to be killed, and takes the form of a lullaby sung by mothers of the doomed children.

5. Westminster Carol (Angels we have heard on high) - 2:04

Lyrics written by James Chadwick (bishop), to the music from a French song called 'Les Anges Dans Nos Campagnes'. The music is the same as the original song, though Chadwick's lyrics albeit unique and original are clearly derived and inspired, and in parts loosely translated from the original song. The song commemorates the story of the birth of Jesus Christ found in the Gospel of Luke, in which shepherds outside Bethlehem encounter a multitude of angels singing and praising the newborn child.

6. The Dreidel Song - 0:54

The lyricist for the English version is Samuel S. Grossmanand the composer of the English version is listed as Samuel E. Goldfarb. The Yiddish version was both written and composed by Mikhl Gelbart, but he listed the author as Ben Arn, a pseudonym referring to himself as the son of Aaron. There is a question about who composed this music, as the melody for both the Yiddish and the English versions are precisely the same. The meaning of the lyrics to the Yiddish and English versions is largely the same. However, in English the singer sings about a dreidel, whereas in the Kafkaesque original Judeo-German version, the singer is the four-sided spinning top made out of ‘blay’, which is lead. The original version is historically accurate. In the English version the singer has a four-sided spinning top made out of clay, yet clay is not easily spun.

7. Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella - 1:18

Originated from the Provence region of France in the 17th century. The song is usually notated in 3/8 time.The carol was first published in France, and was subsequently translated into English in the 18th century. The song was originally not a song to be sung at Christmas, but rather dance music for French nobility.

In the carol, visitors to the stable have to keep their voices down so the newborn can enjoy his dreams. To this day in the Provence region, children dress up as shepherds and milkmaids, carrying torches and candles to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, while singing the carol.

8. Patapan - 1:05

The carol revolves around the birth of Jesus Christ, and is told from the perspective of shepherds playing simple instruments—flutes and drums—the onomatopoetic sound of which gives the song its name; "patapan" is meant to mimic the sound of the drum, and an accompanying lyric, "tu-re-lu-re-lu," the flute.

9. What Child Is This - 1:55

Carol whose lyrics were written by William Chatterton Dix, in 1865. At the time of composing the carol, Dix worked as an insurance company manager and had been struck by a severe illness. While recovering, he underwent a spiritual renewal that led him to write several hymns, including lyrics to this carol that was subsequently set to the tune of "Greensleeves", a traditional English folk song.

10. He Is Born - 1:13

Traditional French Christmas carol, which was published for the first time in 1862 by R. Grosjean, organist of the Cathedral of Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, in a collection of carols entitled "Airs des Noëls lorrains." The text of the carol was published for the first time in a collection of ancient carols, published in either 1875 or 1876 by Dom G. Legeay.

11. Joy to the World - 1:16

The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98, 96:11-12 and Genesis 3:17-18, in the Bible. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection; The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship.  As of the late 20th century, "Joy to the World" was the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.

12. Deck the Halls - 1:21

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, written by Thomas Oliphant, date to 1862.
Thanks to Wikipedia.org for information on the Carols.
Picture
The This 'n That Films Christmas Singers