Jack's Lament (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)

for Baritone Vocalist and Chamber Orchestra

The Pumpkin King's bittersweet, theatrical meditation on longing and transformation.

Excerpt (live recording):

Duration: 3:30
Difficulty: Advanced
Language: English
Voice: Baritone 
Instrumentation: 14 instruments - Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Alto Sax, Bassoon, Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Keyboard, and String Quintet.

Song by Danny Elfman, from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Arranged by Chappell Kingsland
Part of the Wild Beautiful Music Halloween Series

“Jack’s Lament” from The Nightmare Before Christmas is wistful and theatrical, blending melancholy with yearning as Jack Skellington dreams of a different life. Its bittersweet tone makes this one of Danny Elfman’s most poignant and expressive songs. This arrangement includes a short introduction which matches the underscoring from the film at the start of the graveyard scene.

Premiere: Oct. 2019 – Lakewood, Colorado
Wild Beautiful Orchestra conducted by Héctor Jardón

Be sure to check out the other orchestral arrangements in the Wild Beautiful Music Halloween Series by Chappell Kingsland.