Once Upon a December - Instrumental (with lyrics)

Cue 10 from the Broadway production of Anastasia. Composed by Stephen Flaherty. This instrumental does not contain an instrument playing the main melody, so it's all yours to sing or play.

You can use it for your cover, if you are kind enough to credit me.

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*Sounds from Sibelius 7
*Starts in the key of D
*Best quality with headphones
*Background made by me
*I do not own this song, nor the rights

[el]

This song makes me cry every time. My birthday is in December and this song was a part of my childhood

update (2/10/2022): still love this song :)

[yourlocalanimator]

singing this for an audition in fifteen minutes. wish me luck!
edit: oh my gosh i dont usually edit my comments but 3k likes? thank you so much! <3

[camlgd]

For French ;)

Des images me reviennent
Comme le souvenir tendre
Une ancienne ritournelle
Autrefois en décembre

Je me souviens, il me semble
Des jeux qu'on inventait ensemble
Je retrouve dans un sourire
La flamme des souvenirs



Je me souviens, il me semble
Des jeux qu'on inventait ensemble
Je retrouve dans un sourire
La flamme des souvenirs

Et, au loin, un écho
Comme une braise sous la cendre
Un murmure à mi mots
Que mon cœur veut comprendre

Une ancienne ritournelle
Loin du froid de décembre

[alizeica]

Anybody else find it so weird how we can all sing the same song in a different language almost effortlessly (if you know the song well enough in your regular language)? It's so crazy, I just sang the Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese versions of them with little to no complications because I know how the English version goes and I find that so fascinating!

[noavandenberg]

Tänzerin,
Bärenkind,
letztes Blatt im Kalender.
Und ein Lied – jemand singt:
Es war einmal im Dezember.

Sag, wer hält mich fest im Arm?
Schlittenfahrt und doch ist mir warm.
Paare drehen sich geschwind,
Musik verweht im Wind.

Sag, wer hält mich fest im Arm?
Schlittenfahrt und doch ist mir warm.
Paare drehen sich geschwind,
Musik verweht im Wind.

Weit, so weit, lange schon,
Märchentraum im Dezember.
Sehnsucht ruft
mein Herz nach Haus,
über Meere und Länder!

Und ein Lied leise klingt:
Es war einmal im Dezember

[МаралСмағұл]

Как узор на окне
Снова прошлое рядом,
Кто-то пел песню мне
В зимний вечер когда-то.
Словно в прошлом ожило
Чьих-то бережных рук тепло,
Вальс изысканных гостей
И бег лихих коней.
Вальс кружил и нёс меня,
Словно в сказку свою маня,
Первый бал и первый вальс
Звучат во мне сейчас.
Зеркала в янтаря
Мой восторг отражают,
Кто-то пел на заре
Дом родной покидая.
Будешь ты в декабре
Вновь со мной дорогая….

[emmabug]

The beginning melody reminds me of burn from Hamilton

[hotpocketoverlord]

i love how there are so many lyrics written in everybody’s languages

[anyamacdougall]

Dancing bears, painted wings
Things I almost remember
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory
Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart used to know
Once upon a December
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory
Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart used to know
Things it yearns to remember
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December

[Crowethegoblin]

Now don’t get me wrong love the original but I heard someone rewrite this song but made it darker and I fell in love with both versions.

[ehlieyd]

This instrumental fits for like a horror film, specifically a scene where someone is narrating the story of how a ghost died while the flashback plays

Edit: Sheesh! It's 12/28/2023. I didn't expect a lot of peeps to be reacting to this comment.

[_.ida_.]

Esta vez puedo ver
Los recuerdos me envuelven
La canción que escuche
Una vez en Diciembre
Me adoraban con fervor
Como extraño sentir amor
¿Quién gozaba al bailar
Un vals inmemorial?

Me adoraban con fervor
Como extraño sentir amor
¿Quién gozaba al bailar
Un vals inmemorial?

Lejos fue tiempo atrás
Poco a poco se pierde
Lo que amé de verdad
Más conservo en mi mente
La canción que escuché
Una vez en Diciembre

[ignaciourizar]

This is really good I love the rhythm and harmony, im gonna sing this for a chorus project and my team picked it and now im trying to learn it.

[frozenitaliayvenezuela]

festa e balli fantasia
è il ricordo di sempre
ed è un canto vola via
quando viene dicembre..
Sembra come un attimo
dei cavalli s’impennano torna quella
melodia che il tempo porto via...
Sembra come un attimo dei cavalli s’impennano
sento quella melodia nella memoria mia
forse un giorno tornerò il mio cuore lo sente
ed allora capirò il ricordo di sempre
ed un canto vola via.
quando viene dicembre.

[AlexIsModded]

I've always loved how playful this song's instrumental was. It's so perfect for the scene of Anastasia playing make-believe about her own memories. It's sad but also really powerful.

[rj]

This melody is haunting but in such a beautiful way it lures me in each time!

[tubbasoup]

Does anyone else get total Nightmare before Christmas vibes? Not really the lyrics, but just the song in general. Is it just me?

[ElisaClaesmusic]

Des images me reviennent
Comme le souvenir tendre
Une ancienne ritournelle
Autrefois en décembre

Je me souviens, il me semble
Des jeux qu'on inventait ensemble
Je retrouve dans un sourire
La flamme des souvenirs

Doucement, un écho
Comme une braise sous la cendre
Un murmure à mi mots
Que mon cœur veut comprendre

Je me souviens, il me semble
Des jeux qu'on inventait ensemble
Je retrouve dans un sourire
La flamme des souvenirs

Et, au loin, un écho
Comme une braise sous la cendre
Un murmure à mi mots
Que mon cœur veut comprendre

Une ancienne ritournelle
Loin du froid de décembre

[nicoletaandreea]

italian

Feste e balli, fantasia
È il ricordo di sempre
Ed un canto vola via
Quando viene dicembre
Sembra come un attimo
Dei cavalli s’impennano
Torna quella melodia
Che il tempo portò via

Sembra come un attimo
Dei cavalli s’impennano
Sento quella melodia
Nella memoria mia
Forse un giorno tornerò
Il mio cuore lo sente
Ed allora capirò
Il ricordo di sempre
Ed un canto vola via…

[kimphuong]

This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written one of my favourites "Once Upon a December" from the beautiful stunning animation "Anastasia" and to have the opportunity to have sung it in public is just glorious, the sweetness of the melody and the combination of the poignant lyrics together you already have a winner, just beautiful, in our lives memories of the heart grow stronger, makes you appreciative for what you have in life. thank you for uploading.