Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas arr. Jodi French From Bob Dylan and Paul Simon to Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift, America continues to produce popular singer-songwriters. However, that was not the case with the Great American Songbook, the Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley pop songs from the first half of the 20th century (c.1915- 1965). Such performers as Ella, Frank, Nat Cole, Rosemary Clooney, Doris Day, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett and others became great singers — but they weren’t known as composers. Neither was Judy Garland, who first popularized Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (from her 1944 movie Meet Me in St. Louis). But she nonetheless shaped its composition. It occurred during a sad moment in the movie, when the Smith family were afraid they would have to move, leaving their home and city behind. But Judy felt the first version of the song by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane was too dark. She said “I won’t sing this! Please lighten it up.” And they did, producing the more familiar sentimental version that has become a beloved pop carol. Southern Oregon Repertory Singers Composer-in-residence Jodi French has some fun with it, arranging it for seven voices.