Friday 11 December 2020
Tune of the Day: Fum, Fum, Fum
Traditional Christmas carol, arranged for two flutes
This old Christmas carol, dating back at least to the 17th century, comes from Catalonia, an autonomous region in the northeastern corner of Spain. It is not typical of Spanish tradition but rather of Catalan tradition. It is not quite certain what the title is supposed to mean. The word “fum” means smoke in Catalan, and it may refer to the smoke rising from a chimney as seen from afar, even though many other interpretations have been proposed. The New Oxford Book of Carols, for instance, says that it “may imitate the sound of a drum (or perhaps the strumming of a guitar)”.
Thanks to Anne McKennon for contributing this arrangement for two flutes!