• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Neville John - Welsh Musician

  • Home
  • Compositions
    • Tragic Overture, Aberfan
    • The Triumph of Aberfan
    • Fantasia on Three Well-Known Themes
    • Fantasia on Patriotic Themes
    • Fantasia on Christmas Carols
    • Rondo for Clarinet Choir
    • Corona Lament
  • Aberfan
  • History
    • High Sheriff Award
    • Past Pupils
    • Music Groups
    • ET Davies Memorial
    • Letters
    • Singing
    • Gallery
  • String Prize

Fantasia on Three Well-Known Themes

This Fantasia was composed in 1981 and is based on three well-known themes, namely:

  1. Simple Gifts, a shaker melody also used as the tune to the hymn Lord of the Dance.
  2. The Christmas carol Angels from the Realms of Glory
  3. The Christmas carol Good King Wenceslas

The Fantasia begins with an inversion of the Simple Gifts tune. A counterpoint is introduced at bar 9, and this can be played at the same time as fragments of all three themes without upsetting the harmony. At bar 17 the trumpet and second violin play Simple Gifts accompanied by this counterpoint. The meno mosso at bar 130 marks the beginning of a CODA which is based on previous material. The Fantasia is quite bold in its selection of keys which cannot be described as closely related.

This recording was made at the Swansea Community Orchestra Christmas concert in 2009 at St Mary’s Church, Swansea.

Copyright © 2022 ยท Neville John