Howard Blake: Walking in the Air
Context
Voted as one of the most popular Christmas songs ever written, Howard Blake’s Walking in the Air can be found in the pivotal travelling scene of the 1982 animated film The Snowman. The original was written for a choirboy with a pre-broken voice. In the film Peter Auty, a choirboy from St Paul’s Cathedral, sung the solo, however lots of people associate the song with Wesh singer, Aled Jones. There have been a number of performances in a range of styles of Walking in the Air, however the classic original remains a family favourite.
The Lyrics
We’re walking in the air
We’re floating in the moonlit sky
The people far below are sleeping as we fly
I’m holding very tight
I’m riding in the midnight blue
I’m finding I can fly so high above with you
Far across the world
The villages go by like trees
The rivers and the hills
The forest and the streams
Children gaze open mouth
Taken by surprise
Nobody down below believes their eyes
We’re surfing in the air
We’re swimming in the frozen sky
We’re drifting over icy
Mountains floating by
Suddenly swooping low on an ocean deep
Arousing of a mighty monster from its sleep
We’re walking in the air
We’re floating in the midnight sky
And everyone who sees us greets us as we fly
The Music
As the music builds up and the boy realises the Snowman wants to run and take off, the song starts with a pulsating accompaniment from the orchestra and piano. As the angelic voice enters, the accompaniment remains similar as it only changes its tonality. As the duo fly over villages, towns, and the ocean, the orchestra flourish to represent the crashing of waves and other exciting happenings on the journey. The vocal line is memorable, with the melody using a similar structure for each verse. Blake’s arrangements for the orchestra allows different sections to be showcases, for instance muted trumpets and lyrical strings. The song ends as it started, with a reprise of the opening theme.
Ⓒ Alex Burns
Happy Reading!
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