John Doan: Music
Jolly Old King Wenceslas
(John Doan)
Good King Wenceslas and Jolly Old Saint Nicholas are carols about exceptional people immortalized for their kindness and generosity. Legend has it that in the fourth-century Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra, through prayer miraculously revived several children who had been slain by robbers. From then on, he was seen as the patron saint of children and later became the bearer of gifts. The sainted King Wenceslas ruled Bohemia in the tenth century and was known for his kindness to the poor. I tried to weave together the excitement of children anticipating their holiday presents with a tribute to those rare good kings of old. I imagined toy soldiers practicing drills in anticipation of coming under the command of youthful generals.