The Timing Nightmare within the Twelve Days of Christmas

What WERE they thinking when writing THIS song?!

Learning to Count by…. Lyrics?

It’s officially December and my favorite holiday is coming up. With plenty of holiday music out there to enjoy I thought we could kick off the season with, you guessed it, an oddity. The Twelve Days of Christmas is a song that everyone can sing and easily stay in time due to repetition but imagine someone describing it without ever hearing it. It might go something like this.

“It’s a song that starts out in 4/4 time but then switches to ¾ time and goes back and forth. Oh, and the ¾ section is actually two sections that grow in duration as the song goes on. And then there’s a break between those two sections that uses 4/4 for one bar and then jumps back into ¾ before moving on to one of the ¾ sections. If that isn’t confusing enough, the song starts and ends in 4/4 with a little free-time added in. And one more thing: the end has a tempo change. But you’ll love it!”

The example that I’ll use is by good ol’ Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. Before we dive into the song let me just say that when its Christmas time and I happen across some ladies singing Andrews Sisters material, I will stop as long as I can. The Andrews Sisters were famous for a reason and the ladies that bring their holiday songs back to life are always on point. If you are one of those ladies, then thank you and keep up the great work.

The Increasing Countdown

This song has a unique form. It begins and ends with a time signature of 4/4 with some tempo variations. The intro has a moment of free time, or rubato, that Bing Crosby uses for some added drama. We could try to count this out but since Bing is known for his dramatic tempo changes, I like to think of this moment of free time as “Bing Time”.

The outro uses a form of rallentano, which is a decrease in tempo that adds emphasis to the song. In this case the outro continuously decreases until the song is finished. This adds more drama to the final few notes as they are stretched out and given more dynamic energy.

The rest of the song is in a form that builds itself as the song progresses. We start with two bars of 4/4 timing followed by two more bars of 4/4. The second pair of bars gets one more bar added two it the next time we repeat these bars / measures. By thinking of our repeated section as having a beginning and end we can now look at what is placed in the middle.

Bars of ¾ and/or 4/4 timing will be added between our beginning and end each time we repeat the same section. This is what allows the song to grow for each “day” from day one to twelve.

Look at the song below with color coded measures. The intro and outro are green to set them apart. Then we get into our beginning and end section with four blue bars of 4/4. The song then grows by adding in bars of ¾ in red. The “five gold rings” section is in shades of yellow. Keep in mind that the “gold rings” measures are specifically 4/4 followed by ¾. I’ve also included the lyrics from the above video so you can follow along.

Forming the Form

Now that we’ve gone through the song with the lyrics we should focus on the form. Knowing the form of a song can help us understand how each part functions. In songs that have a simple A-A-B form we know to play the A section twice and the B section once. While this is simple, helps us know when important parts of a song are played. These important parts can be rhythm changes, added dynamics, or anything that stands out to add to the song itself. In the Twelve Days of Christmas, we have a form that grows. Check out the diagram below that points out the additional measures / bars and the only modification that comes at the very end. As the form grows, we gain time for more lyrics and added instruments like the drums and pipes.

Using Mixed Meter

Using a combination of meters, or timing signatures, allows a song to evolve in a non-linear manner. Instead of sticking to a four count beat in 4/4 we were able to switch between 4/4 and ¾ to gain a stronger storytelling system. When writing your own song there are many ways to add interest for your listener. Changing keys and borrowing chords is a great way to add interest but try out a change in meter when you feel that the story needs more or less time.

Hopefully you’ve noticed one key ingredient to the Twelve Days of Christmas, which is “one”. The “one beat” is the strongest beat that always gets a strong lyric. Throughout most of the song the strong lyrics are usually one of the number lyrics and is sung on “one beat”. Think of the “five gold rings” section. “Five” is sung at the beginning of the 4/4 bar and the ¾ bar.

If you are trying to write or solo with a mixed meter song, then try using the “one” beat. You will always have a “one” in any meter. Using this constant beat to draw out your strong notes will keep your listener in time as well. For the other beats you can allow the melody to come out organically because the first beat is your anchor point. Play around with mixed meter and allow the changes in time to fit the changes in your story. You may be surprised at how changes in time can help shape the space for your melody exists within for the benefit of storytelling.

Thanks for reading and have a great holiday!