Felices Fiestas
by Mike Wilson
At this festive time, we often greet one another with a friendly "Happy Holidays!" If we're gonna say it, we might as well sing it. And if we're gonna sing it, we might as well sing it in Spanish, right? Why not? In a southern California, "Blue Bayou" style, "Felices Fiestas" is a short Spanish/English holiday tune arranged in unison with an optional divisi at the end. The form is easy: intro, chorus, verse, chorus, end. The choruses are in Spanish while the verse is in English. You can have your choir sing it as freely as you wish, with your directed scoops and slurs. We took some liberty in that regard for the studio recording. Feel free to mirror the style.
We have provided a pronunciation guide on our web site. And as Mike always says, your Spanish diction seems to sound more authentic if you sing with a smile on your face. It just puts your mouth in an optimum shape for the pronunciation.
You'll get some practice with triplets, too. Follow the melody guide track to help get the rhythm just right.
The translation is as follows:
Happy holidays to you.
Happy holidays to you.
And your family, and your friends.
Happy holidays to you.
Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.