Winter Wonderland

• Date: 1934
• Composer: Felix Bernard
• Period: Modern (1910-1949)

Review

Although credited with composing the first million-selling song in 1919 with "Dardanella," Felix Bernard (1897-1944) is best remembered for having written "Winter Wonderland" in 1934 with lyricist Richard Smith. The song was first recorded in time for Christmas 1934 by Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians. Their recording hit No. 2, but the song stayed alive as popular singers and bands took it up during the holiday season. "Winter Wonderland" received its most popular recording in 1946 when the young Perry Como and the somewhat older Andrews Sisters recorded it. From then on, the song has been covered by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Bob Hope to Bruce Willis to Homer Simpson, surely an unmatched diversity of performers. The song is in the traditional three-part setting of popular songs of the prewar period with an opening quasi-parlando verse over chromatic harmonic progressions (which is almost never performed) a repeated note melody for the chorus over simpler tonicsubdominant, a slowly sinking melody over tonic dominant tonic chord changes, a sing-song bridge that moves to the flat-leading tone, and then up through the dominant back to the tonic for the return of the chorus. ~ James Leonard, All Music Guide

Albums with Complete Performances of the Work

Title	Date
25 Christmas Favorites	2002
40 Most Beautiful Winter Classics	2008
A Cabaret Christmas
A Canadian Brass Christmas
A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert	1991
A Celebration of Christmas	2000
A Christmas Angel	2005
A Christmas Celebration
A Christmas Festival
A Norman Rockwell Christmas
A White Christmas with Grimethorpe
American Christmas
An American Christmas [Immergent]	2008
Arthur Fiedler's Christmas Pops
Carousel Christmas	1999
Celtic Christmas	2001
Christmas Album	2003
Christmas All over the World	2002
Christmas Around the World	2006
Christmas Bells of San Sylmar	2000
Christmas Celebration [2003 Box Set]	2005
Christmas Celebration [2003 Box Set]	2005
Christmas Concert [Barnes & Noble]	2002
Christmas Extraordinaire	2001
Christmas Favorites	2006
Christmas Favorites [2001]	2001
Christmas Favorites [Madacy 2003]	2003
Christmas Guitar	2000
Christmas Joy [Madacy 2 Disc 2002]	1996
Christmas Magic [Direct Source]	2002
Christmas Music Box [Legacy Box]	2005
Christmas Song	1999
Christmas Songs
Christmas Time Is Here	2003
Christmas Traditions: Americana Collection	2004
Christmas at the Pops: Greatest Hits
Christmas by the Bay	1998
Christmas in London [Silva]	2001
Christmas with Kiri	1990
Christmas with the Pops	1990
Christmas with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	1998
Christmas with the University of Texas at Austin Trombone Choir
Classic Christmas for Your Family	2000
December Night	2005
Disney's Christmas Lullaby Album	2003
Dream a Dream	2000
Family Christmas Favorites	2004
Follow That Star	2003
Greatest Hits of Christmas Past	2001
HSQ Does Christmas (Again)	2005
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Holiday Favorites [Madacy]	2002
Holiday Favorites [St. Clair]	1999
Holiday Percussion
Holiday for Percussion	1997
Home For Christmas [Madacy 2002]	2002
Home for the Holidays	1999
Home for the Holidays [Madacy #1]	2004
Hymns, Carols and Songs about Snow
I'll Be Home for Christmas [Decca]	2007
In Dulci Jubilo: Holiday Music of the Notre Dame Glee Club	2001
Joy Of Christmas	2001
Joy of Christmas [Reader's Digest]	1999
Joy to the World
Joyful and Triumphant: The Music of Christmas
Mistletoe Sax	2002
Noël Pianissimo	2004
Our Favorite Things [SACD]	2001
Our Favorite Things: Christmas in Vienna	2001
Our Favorite Things: Christmas in Vienna [DVD Video]	2001
Pops Christmas Party	1959
Reader's Digest: A Glorious Christmas	1992
Save the Children: Christmas Carols & Festive	1990
Schatz, Gruber, Pierpont and others
Signature Series: The Joy of Christmas	2003
Simple Gifts	2005
Sleigh Ride [Reader's Digest]	1999
Sleigh Ride: Classic Carols for Christmas	2002
Swing Ye Noël: Spectacular Big Band Arrangements of Holiday Classics
The Best of Christmas [Madacy 6]	2005
The Charlotte Church Show	2007
The Incredible Christmas Album	2003
The Music of Laurie Johnson, Vol. 2: The Professionals	2008
The Music of Mexico
The Three Tenors Christmas	2000
The Three Tenors Christmas [CD & DVD]	2004
The Three Tenors Christmas [SACD]	2000
The Ultimate Christmas Album [Polygram]	1995
The Ultimate Classical Christmas	2007
The Wonder of Christmas	2006
Treasury of Christmas [Box Set] [Collector's Tin]	2006
Ultimate Relaxation Christmas Album	2002
Voices of Christmas
Weihnachten [Bild]	1998
What If Mozart Wrote "White Christmas"	2009
What If Mozart Wrote "White Christmas"	2009
What if Mozart Wrote 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas'
Winter Wonderland	1998
Winter Wonderland [Madacy]	2002
Winter Wonderland [St. Clair]	2002
Wintertime Cheer	2007

thomas kinkade winter wonderland