Jingle Bells

(SATB quartet or ensemble, unaccompanied)

Watch Molly Holleran, Abigail Wright, Justin Raffa, and Reginald Unterseher on YouTube

Program Notes:

Although this song has come to be one of the world's most favorite and familiar Christmas songs, it was originally written for Thanksgiving. It has no specific reference to either holiday, though, and is just the story of folks having a wonderful time joy-riding out in the snowy fields in a horse-drawn sleigh, pulled by a fast horse. "Two forty as his speed" refers to making a mile in two minutes and forty seconds, a little over 22 miles per hour. In this version, listen to the chorus swerve around for a bit as they careen around that curve, then pull it back together again.

Notes on preparation and performance:

Note that the word "upsot" is a vague reference to being somewhat tipsy. Give yourself permission to sing this piece with abandon, verve, and manic glee.

This can be sung effectively by a quartet or larger ensemble. Try it as a flash-mob!

There is spot where the tenor and bass find themselves singing in a different key for just a second as they "get upsot", then we take that curve just a little too fast and nearly flip the sleigh. Play that part up! Look around in surprise, then huddle together in relief when the sleigh rights itself. What a good opportunity to huddle together! Enjoy it!

Experiment with how fast you can sing it. Really, really fast can be a blast.

At the end, there are several options, depending on the size of the ensemble and the performing situation. For the safest ending, SA should sing the small notes. If they are up to it, sing just the top two full size notes. If you have a larger group and can sing all four of the full size notes, add those bottom notes in.

Duration 1:30

$1.75

Text

Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bobtail ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight!

Oh, Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

A day or two ago
I thought I'd take a ride
And soon, Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side,
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
He got into a drifted bank
And there we got upsot.

Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young,
Take the girls tonight
and sing this sleighing song;
Just get a bobtailed bay
Two forty as his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! you'll take the lead.