In this week's episode of Busy Kids Love Music, we're welcoming the Christmas season with a beautiful and expressive work by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams — a musician who adored both folk tunes and the charming old carols passed down through generations.

In Fantasia on Christmas Carols, Vaughan Williams weaves together three traditional English carols into one imaginative and atmospheric piece for baritone, chorus, and orchestra:

• The Truth Sent from Above

• Come All You Worthy Gentlemen

• On Christmas Night All Christians Sing (often known as The Sussex Carol)

You'll learn:

• Why Vaughan Williams was passionate about preserving English folk music

• What a fantasia is and how this piece "daydreams" from one idea to another

• How the composer added "hidden" carol fragments throughout the music

• Why this work was meaningful during World War I

• Details about the piece's 1912 premiere at the Three Choirs Festival

• How Fantasia on Christmas Carols continues to inspire holiday performances today

This episode also explains the unique combination of baritone soloist, full choir, and orchestra, and how the piece begins and ends with a moving cello solo.

Find the complete recording of Fantasia on Christmas Carols here.

Don't miss these seasonal resources from Busy Kids Do Piano!

• Online Nutcracker Camp for Kids

• Musical Advent Calendar

Get ready for a fun musical mystery game in our next episode:
"What Was That Sound? – Holiday Edition!"
We'll explore instruments of the season with festive sound-guessing challenges your kids will love.

Thanks for listening, and as always — keep listening and keep learning, because Busy Kids Love Music!