My interest in this Christmas carol started when I heard Mannheim Steamroller’s version on their third Christmas Album Christmas in the Aire. The main melody is very catchy, and I love the renaissance feel of their arrangement, and in fact, I’ve included a bit of it as a tribute to their take.Pat-A-Pan was composed and lyrics written by a French lawyer and poet named Bernard de la Monnoye, in 1720. Its story revolves around the nativity of Jesus Christ from the perspective of shepherds, playing flutes and drums, the lyrical sound of the latter being where this carol gets its name, Pat-A-Pan.
(There is another carol about drums, The Little Drummer Boy, which, I must confess, is not one of my favorites. However, since my mom does like “Drummer Boy,” I’ve included melodic motifs from it: see if you can find them.)
The original lyrics to Pat-A-Pan were written in Burgundian, a dialect of French. Here, I’ve included the English translation:
Willie, take your little drum, Robin take your flute and come!
When we hear the right we will sing Noel this night,
When we hear the fife and drum, Christmas should be frolicsome.
Thus the men of olden days for the King of Kings to praise,
When they heard the fifeand drum, ture-lure-lu, pata-pata-pan,
When they hear the fife and drum, sure, our children won’t be dumb.
God and man are now become more at one than fife and drum.
When you hear the fife and drum, ture-lure-lu, pata-pata-pan,
When you hear the fife and drum, dance and make the village hum.
You can get (or hear) the album at:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/42hKWTqaset9WdkZpMDnbX?si=7bS0UE2LQDyDw3DQyGZ51Q
- CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/m3138
- Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/an-m31-christmas/1442066188
It's also available on Amazon, Google Play, and other streaming/download services.
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