Day 16 On The Magical Musical Advent Calendar

Today’s prompt on the 30 day song challenge is ‘A song that’s a classic favorite’

My first thought was straight to classical music which I love.

Oh Fortuna – but everyone thinks of the Omen or the X Factor

Ride of the Valkyries, Night On Bald Mountain, Peer Gynt, The 1812 Overture, The William Tell Overture, The Four Seasons – I can go on and on!

I seriously considered Elite Syncopations from Scott Joplin and Variations by Andrew and Julian Lloyd Webber. That’s a fascinating story. In true brotherly fashion, Julian, a renowned and very accomplished cellist, tried to ‘one up’ Andrew and declared there was nothing Andrew could write that he couldn’t play.

Naturally Andrew wasn’t having any of that so set to work. He wrote Variations on music from Paganini. Music that was already considered so difficult that you had to have sold your soul to the devil to play it. You may recognise parts of it from many TV shows such as the South Bank Show theme.

That might be a favourite of mine but I don’t think it really meets the criteria of a Classic favourite.

So I thought again.

I wanted something pretty much everyone knows. Something that wasn’t a Christmas Carol even though they too crossed my mind.

I stayed in the season though and I’ve chosen Auld Lang Syne. Most of us know it and sing it (or try to!) as Big Ben chimes in London, the ball drops in NYC and around the world as we ring out the old year and ring in the new. It’s the end of the old year and the start of a new year filled with possibilities and promise. Enjoy the anticipation as you sing, it will be twelve months before you do it again 😊

Auld Lang Syne by Rod Stewart