Between the Lines: "Figgy Pudding!" by Ruth Morris Gray

Figgy Pudding! is a playful, original (and completely secular) holiday canon loosely based on a fragment from "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Prepared with old English Dickensian flair, the round stacks in three, a perfect recipe for building harmony skills.

Ruth Morris Gray is an active music teacher, composer, arranger, choral conductor, and pianist. She is Chair of the Music Department at Rosemead High School in Rosemead, California, where she directs four choirs and teaches AP Music Theory and Piano. Ruth received her B.M. in Piano Performance and Composition from Biola University in 1983. She continued her studies in composition at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned her M.A. degree in Music Composition. In 2004, Ruth received her single subject teaching credential in Music from California State University, Northridge. Ruth is active in several professional organizations including ASCAP, ACDA, and Southern California Vocal Association.

What inspired you to write Figgy Pudding! ?

I’m always looking for great Christmas ideas, but I know religious texts can be a problem for some schools. I was very excited by the idea of using only the verse about figgy pudding from the song, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” to create a fun holiday piece for singers. I love creating partner songs. Everyone loves a melody! My altos in my high school choir cheer when they have the melody. This song has three new melodies that fit together. Everyone also loves to hear music that is familiar so I combined the original melody with new melodies and lyrics that would work together.

What teaching suggestions do you have to share for Figgy Pudding!?

My first suggestion would be to add hand motions to this piece. I love it when the students and audience can identify the separate melodies in a partner song because of hand motions. (It also has the side benefit of keeping students so busy that they won’t get off task—hopefully!) You can create the motions or encourage your students to be creative. Divide the choir into small groups or if your choir isn’t too large, have each choir section come up with motions for one of the melodies. If they have trouble creating motions, the ASL online dictionary is a great resource. I encourage my students not to choose motions for every word. Select the important words to sign.

Secondly, because this piece is in 3/4 time, have the singers emphasize the text on beat one of each measure to accent the ¾ feel. I like to have students swing their arms like pirates to get the feel of the music.

Thirdly, teach the three melodies to all singers by singing measures 18–42. Have the singers examine the score to find where the three melodies combine. Then have the singers identify the parts of the song that contain the original melody from “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

What message do you have for singers learning this piece?

Every singer is equally important in this song, so don’t be afraid to sing! Have fun!