"‘Twas the night
Before Christmas
When all through the house" "Not a creature was stirring
Not even a mouse" It's called ''Twas The Night Before Christmas" It's a very famous poem, and my grandmother would read it to me every Christmas on Christmas Eve, before the fire. And it was always my favourite Christmas poem.
That's why I decided to try and set music to it. Mom and Dad falling asleep and the kids as well and Saint Nicholas coming down the chimney to put the presents around the tree. It's very famous. Alma Deutscher has set this to music. She's 13 years old, which is just a little older than my oldest grandchild. Actually I composed it when I was eight. I still remember skipping outside in the
garden and trying to think of a melody that would fit these words. And I remember
exactly the moment when I suddenly thought of this melody... "'Twas the night before Christmas
When all through the house" "Not a creature was stirring
Not even a mouse" "The stockings all hung
By the chimney with care" "In hopes
That Saint Nicholas
Soon would be there" "The children were nestled
All snug in their beds" "While visions of sugarplums
Danced in their heads" I think we'll just try and get
more space on it… – because you see, the second time I have all the instruments coming in and doing everything… – yes and that's fantastic, it's fantastic! Because the music becomes jubilant. Saint Nicholas is going off on his sleigh... Okay... okay let's try that Let's see if we can do that. This isn't really an ordinary poem about
how beautiful winter is or whatever, it's, you know, actually it's telling a real story. It's a ballad – exactly and so the music really needs to
reflect the words all the time and so I changed quite a lot and made it better… – and did the melody come to you
as you just kept working over the the text and this section
needs to have this feeling or also the different hints of
a little bit of waltz here or…? – well, the first melody, the mysterious melody,
that I got already when I was eight and I was just trying to think of something that
could catch a mysterious atmosphere, and then suddenly I got it. So these things, it's not like you're working them out,
you hear them in your mind? I hear them in my mind and I can hear
all the harmony in my mind. That's fantastic. "But I heard him exclaim" – yes "As he drove out of sight" – yes – it's, not difficult. It's just, silly. Me. And then… – do I slow this down here? No this was good – do we want to do that harmony? If you could that would be wonderful... – like I did. I really like the beginning, I like this very much And maybe we can stop just a tiny bit more... – yeah, exactly… – and then you can take a big breath. Let's dance it through, good idea Everybody calls you Mozart, I call you
Schubert. I don't want to be a Mozart or a Schubert... – no you're Alma Exactly – You are definitely Alma So let's try it again... “I had nothing to dread…” “He spoke not a word but went straight to his work” “And filled all the stockings then turned with a jerk” “and laying...” My kids, well actually my wife, insists
that before we open the presents to sing, the family... – oh yes! Which is a little bit dicey because some of the members of the family, aren't great singers... – well it doesn't matter though! Bravo! And now we have a song, a new one! – and then instead of everyone just reading the poem they can all sing it. Exactly it is very singable It's a little bit of a long range… "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!" I think it sounds wonderful, I think
Thomas is the perfect singer to sing it. We're looking very much for how to make the poem come alive in these beautiful musical thoughts she has. It's a pleasure!
