Son of Santa the Barbarian - Randall Standridge
After the Snowpocalypse, Santa the Barbarian is at odds with his son, Nicholas, who wants Christmas to be merry. Unwilling to relinquish his wintery hold on the holiday, the not-so-jolly-old elf refuses. War breaks out between the two, represented by major and minor modes, combining elements of Mars, the Bringer of War; Jolly Old St. Nicholas; Jingle Bells; Deck the Halls; Fum, Fum, Fum, and more! Equal parts holiday cheer and epic movie battle music, this stirring climax to the Santa the Barbarian series is sure to bring a smile to performers, audiences, and lovers of Christmas carnage everywhere. Ho! Ho! Who will win?
About this Piece:
In 2022, I wrote a piece entitled Santa the Barbarian. It was originally intended to be a one-off. Still, I enjoyed the character and the universe so much that I wrote two sequels (Santa the Barbarian and the Pirates of the North Pole & Santa the Barbarian: Snowpocalypse). I really thought that I was done...and then an idea came to me.
What if Santa the Barbarian had a son? And what if he was very different from his father? Children being at odds with their parents or seeking their identity is a common theme, so this idea seemed natural and provided me with a great structure and theme to work from.
This fourth chapter finds Santa the Barbarian and his son, Nicholas, at odds over how Christmas should be celebrated. Instead of a holiday full of doom and destruction, Nicholas wants Christmas to be merry and bright. Father and son, unable to come to an agreement, go to war! The battle rages back and forth as minor mode versions (Santa the Barbarian) and major mode versions (Nicholas) battle back and forth. But, ho, ho, who will win?
This work combines elements of a great many pieces to tell its tale: Mars, the Bring of War from Holst’s “The Planets”, Jolly Old St. Nicholas, What Child is This?, Deck the Halls, Jingle Bells, Up on the Housetop, Fum, Fum, Fum, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas (and even portions of the Ukrainian Bell Carol).
One quick note...it would be easy for some to say I am simply writing “more of the same,” but please remember that I am an educator at heart. When I wrote the 2nd piece and 3rd pieces, I made sure that it had different educational concerns and concepts than the first one, and that trend has continued here. This work is more advanced than the first three, albeit slightly, and introduces more time signatures, fluctuation between major and minor modes, style changes, and extreme dynamic and expressive moments. The four works are intended to be sequential in development for the players. I hope this comes through.