Fantasia on a 13th Century Carol

The fifth piece in the concert is entitled Fantasia on a 13th Century Carol. As a fantasia, it utilizes themes and elements of the source material in a free-form manner, subject to the creative whims of the composer. In this case, the source material is the popular Provençal Christmas carol, The March of the Kings. Composer James Hosay (see below) is a little mistaken: the carol most likely originated in the 17th or 18th century.

The March of the Kings or The March of the Magi celebrates Epiphany (the arrival of the Magi to the Nativity) and the journey of the Magi. The words are attributed to Joseph-François Domergue, parish priest-Dean of Aramon, from 1724 to 1728, whose name appears on the first handwritten copy dated 1742, kept at the Avignon library. The text was published for the first time in the collection of French hymns published in 1749.

The precise origin of the tune is unknown but seems to go back to the seventeenth century, even if a medieval origin is sometimes evoked.

According to the document of 1742, the song resembles the tune of a march of Turenne (a castle and village in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in south-central France). According to the research carried out by the Stéphen scholar of Arve in the late nineteenth century, the only known score of the original piece is that of Étienne-Paul Collier, organist at the Cathedral of Aix-en-Provence. Henri Maréchal, an inspector of the conservatoires of France, believes that the music had to be composed by the Abbot Domergue himself.

The March of the Kings is one of the themes of the opening of The Arlésienne (1872), stage music composed by Georges Bizet for a drama about Provençal by Alphonse Daudt. According to the musicologist Joseph Clamn, Bizet was able to find the melody of this march in a book published in 1864. After the failure of the drama, Bizet used the stage music as a suite for orchestra (Suite No. 1). In 1879, four years after the death of the composer, his friend Ernest Guiraud arranged a second sequel (Suite No. 2) in which The March of Kings is taken up in canon in the last part of the revamped work, under the title Farandole.

The March of the Kings has become a very popular traditional French song and one of the most common Christmas carols in the repertoire of francophone choirs.

This very creative treatment of themes and motifs from The March of the Kings begins with rousing fanfare derived from the first three notes of carol. After a few transitions through mixed meters, the music slows to an almost sorrowful (or is that pensive?) flute soliloquy over a clarinet obligato. The torch is passed to solo oboe. Sleigh bells and a catchey rhythm ostinato enliven the music, again through changing meters, before the music again slows to a chant, sung by the men of the band (with the assistance of the low woodwinds and brass). A thundering percussion interlude, followed by booming sustained notes by the low brass lead us finally to the rousing full statement of the carol, layered upon woodwind flourishes and countermelodies derived from the preceding slow material. Rapid interplay between all the sections of the band lead to a thrilling climax.

Composer James Hosay (b. 1959) joined the U.S. Army as a trumpet player after high school, and graduated from the Armed Forces School of Music. After a year in the 26th Army Band at Fort Hamilton, New York, he became a music copyist for the Army Band in Washington, D. C. (Pershing’s Own). He eventually became the Staff Arranger/Composer for that prestigious group. During his tenure as Staff Arranger, Hosay wrote arrangements for many well-known recording artists. Quite often, his music was performed for U.S. and foreign dignitaries, foreign heads of states, and the President of the United States. He was also called upon to write for numerous high-level events, such as the re-dedication of the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol Building. Now retired from the Army, Hosay has over 100 pieces published for the concert band.

The music for Fantasia on a 13th Century Carol was provided for the band by Jeff Jennings.