John Williams Merry Christmas
John Willaims Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, from Home Alone 2 Program Notes
In 1992, a young Macaulay Culkin starred in this John Hughes sequel to the 1990 original. Kevin McCallister’s family are going to Florida for Christmas, which he thinks is silly. Somehow, he’s separated from his family at the airport, and ends up alone in New York City with his father’s credit card. Staying at the Plaza Hotel, the French-Renaissance Chateau-styled hotel at 5th Avenue and Central Park, he befriends a philanthropic toy-store owner, who’s the unwitting next victim of the villains from the original Home Alone. Kevin defeats them, while taking in iconic New York sights (Carnegie Hall, Rockefeller Center), before being reunited with his family. This carol, by John Williams (composer for Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Superman, ET, and many others) is a cheerful and glittery piece, especially in its use of brass, festive sleigh bells, and extravagant half-step direct modulation, where the music changes key by moving slightly higher. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas! Sing a song for the glorious season. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas! Sing a song for a happy new year. Sing merrily, merrily, loud and strong, Welcome the wintry season. Just follow along with the holiday song. Santa is here again, yes! Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas! Sing a song for the glorious season. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas! Sing a song for a happy new year. The reindeer fly, if you need any proof. It’s merely a matter of reason. Just listen, you’ll hear when they land on the roof. Santa is here again, yes! Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas! Sing a song for the glorious season. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas! Sing a song for a happy new year. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas! Sing a song for the glorious season. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas! It’s a magical, miracle, annual, lyrical, Sing-along now, sing a song for a happy new year!Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas is a festive orchestral arrangement by John Williams, drawn from his score for the 1990 film Home Alone. It blends traditional Christmas carols with Williams's own inventive orchestral writing.
John Williams composed the score for Home Alone in 1990, and it was released with the film on November 16, 1990. The score received an Academy Award nomination.
The concert arrangement typically lasts approximately 4 to 6 minutes.
Listen for Williams's warm, full orchestral sound that transforms familiar holiday melodies into something both grand and intimate. His scoring for strings and choir creates a sense of wonder perfectly suited to the holiday season.
Williams brought the same craft and seriousness to the Home Alone score that he applied to his work on Star Wars and Schindler's List. His holiday arrangements have become classics of the seasonal concert repertoire, beloved by audiences of all ages.
