This Fantasia is founded on the following traditional English carols: The Truth Sent From Above (Herefordshire) words and tune; Come All You Worthy Gentlemen (Somerset) words and tune; OnChristmas Night (Sussex) words and tune; There Is A Fountain (Herefordshire) tune only; together with fragments of other well-known carol tunes.

The work is scored for ordinary full Orchestra with Organ andset of bells (ad lib.), or String Orchestra with Organ or Piano. Alternatively, it may be accompanied by Organ or Piano alone, played from the Vocal score, with an optional solo Cello part (H212). A chorus part for performancebysolo Baritone and TTBB is also available (W41).

The chorus is required to sing in four different ways:
1. Singing the words.
2. Singing with closed lips.
3. Singing 'Ah'.
4. Singing with half-closedlips i.e. with a short 'u' sound as in the word 'but'.

Watch Pasadena Master Chorale performing Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia On Christmas Carols: