Chrismtas is Coming!!

[Joy]

I thought I'd start a Christmas thread along with some history about the music as Christmas will be upon us very soon! Some Christmas Carols will be played on NPR tonight starting with 'Good King Wenceslas.'
Here's some history: "he real King Wenceslas was a 10th century Duke of Bohemia who became a Christian martyr. Lots of miracles have been reported in his name. Czech composer wrote his World War I "Meditation on an Old Czech Hymn 'St. Wenceslas'" in 1914. And nearly a millenium later, John Neale wrote his famous Christmas tune, Good King Wenceslas."

What are some of the members favourite Christmas music?


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'Truth and beauty joined'

[Teresa]

Originally posted by Joy:
I thought I'd start a Christmas thread along with some history about the music as Christmas will be upon us very soon! Some Christmas Carols will be played on NPR tonight starting with 'Good King Wenceslas.'
Here's some history: "he real King Wenceslas was a 10th century Duke of Bohemia who became a Christian martyr. Lots of miracles have been reported in his name. Czech composer wrote his World War I "Meditation on an Old Czech Hymn 'St. Wenceslas'" in 1914. And nearly a millenium later, John Neale wrote his famous Christmas tune, Good King Wenceslas."

What are some of the members favourite Christmas music?

Happy Holidays to Joy and all --

Having some German blood flowing in my veins, I tend to the old German carols, Stille Nacht, etc., and Handel's Messiah is a favorite. The Halleluiah Chorus stirs me every time and brings tears to my eyes. I also like Mannheim Steamroller a lot, for something different. Some of the more traditional songs they do are great.

Regards,
Teresa

[Teresa]

Originally posted by Teresa:
Happy Holidays to Joy and all --

Having some German blood flowing in my veins, I tend to the old German carols, Stille Nacht, etc., and Handel's Messiah is a favorite. The Halleluiah Chorus stirs me every time and brings tears to my eyes. I also like Mannheim Steamroller a lot, for something different. Some of the more traditional songs they do are great.

Regards,
Teresa

By the way, what was Handel's famous quote when he wrote the Chorus? Something about seeing the very angels of heaven, or something like that. Help me out, Rod...

[Rod]

Originally posted by Teresa:
By the way, what was Handel's famous quote when he wrote the Chorus? Something about seeing the very angels of heaven, or something like that. Help me out, Rod...

Not sure about that off the top of my head, I'll have a look into it. But I have another quote, namely that upon being questioned as to the Halleluja from Messiah being his best chorus he replied that the closing chorus from Act two of Theodora was the best.

Personally I think the final Chorus from act 3 of Messiah is if anything better than the Halleluja.

I've got the short but extremely effective Halleluja from Joshua at my Handel site at the moment if you want to check it out.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 12-20-2005).]

[Peter]

Originally posted by Joy:
I thought I'd start a Christmas thread along with some history about the music as Christmas will be upon us very soon! Some Christmas Carols will be played on NPR tonight starting with 'Good King Wenceslas.'
Here's some history: "he real King Wenceslas was a 10th century Duke of Bohemia who became a Christian martyr. Lots of miracles have been reported in his name. Czech composer wrote his World War I "Meditation on an Old Czech Hymn 'St. Wenceslas'" in 1914. And nearly a millenium later, John Neale wrote his famous Christmas tune, Good King Wenceslas."

What are some of the members favourite Christmas music?

I definitely prefer the traditional carols -Hark the herald by Mendelssohn is a favourite, the first Noel which apparently dates back to the 16th or 15th century and of course the incomparable Stille nacht sung in German please, original version with none of the horrible over sentimental slushy modern harmonies!

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'Man know thyself'

[untamed_personality]

Merry Christmas, everybody!

I also like the traditional carols. 'O Holy Night' is a particular favourite, as is 'It Came Upon the Midnight Clear'. I also like Johnny Mathis singing 'What Child is This?' to the immortal 'Greensleeves'. 'Silent Night' is the ultimate, though, in German or English!

I always listen to the Ninth a lot this time of year. The themes of brotherhood and happiness sit well with the spirit of Christmas, I feel. It also feels Christmassy - if you know what I mean - in the Scherzo and parts of the finale in particular.

Is it wrong to love Christmas when you're in your thirties?

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Seizing fate by the throat...

[Teresa]

Originally posted by Rod:
Not sure about that off the top of my head, I'll have a look into it.

Apparently the quote is...

"Whether I was in my body or out of my body as I wrote it I know not. God knows."

And also...
"I did think I did see all Heaven before me and the great God Himself."

I think this is the reason this chorus moves me so much. Handel was obviously moved when he wrote it, and the emotion he felt must have been overwhelming.

[Anthina]

Merry christmas to everyone!!
Like Peter I prefer the Stille Nacht original version, sung in a church while snow's falling, beautiful.

Have nice holidays all of you :-)

p.s. can't wait to get my ehm, presents (made myself an early present but will not listen to it before christmas: a 18 CD set..beethoven, mozart, vivaldi etc.)

[Michael]

Originally posted by Peter:
I definitely prefer the traditional carols -Hark the herald by Mendelssohn is a favourite, the first Noel which apparently dates back to the 16th or 15th century and of course the incomparable Stille nacht sung in German please, original version with none of the horrible over sentimental slushy modern harmonies!

"Stille Nacht" was once attributed to a famous composer who may have been mentioned once or twice on this forum.

Michael

[Teresa]

I'm getting a 7-CD set of Beethoven quartets. Can't wait.

[Chris]

I'll be playing some carols at Mass this Christmas. I've got to play at two on Chritmas Eve and one on Christmas day, so I'll be busy this year. The carols this year are:

O Come All Ye Faithful
Go Tell It on the Mountain
O Little Town of Bethlehem
It Came upon a Midnight Clear
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Also this Christmas season we will play:

Joy to the World
Angels We Have Heard on High
The First Noel
What Child Is This?

I like all of these. O Holy Night is a favorite of mine. Perhaps I can get the cantor to do it as a prelude. Silent Night sadly seems to be missing this year.

What I don't like is that the book with the piano accompaniments doesn't have real accompaniments to most of these - just SATB. Even though I can stretch across quite a few keys, the tenor and bass are frequently more than 10 white keys apart, and that gets tough! Plus they don't sound that full.

Does anyone know of a book with some nice piano accompaniments to these traditional carols? It's too late for this year, but perhaps for next year...

[JA Gardiner]

If I can bear to I'm giving a complete Ring cycle, a set of the LVB Late Quartets - Takacs Quartet and a set of Music of Spain - Julian Bream as well as several copies of volumes from the Gardiner set of bach cantatas and the naxos recording of 20 Polich carols by Lutoslawski. After being such a good girl I hope St Nicholas will bring me something equally nice but I dare not presume - the Hyperion Schubert edition would be nice though.....!!! As for carols etc. I love the Messiah - having sung several bits of it in School concerts and also Berlioz L'Enfance du Christ - but generally prefer medieval carols such as Es is Ein Ros entsprungen or There is no Rose of Swych Vertu as sung by the Tallis Scholars or the Sixteen. I can still sing a mean descant on some of the victorian ones like Hark the Herald Angels though!

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Beethoven the Man!

[Droell]

Two of my favorites: Once in King David's Royal City, a wonderful carol by a 19th century Englishman (if memory serves), and Rio Rio Chio, a Spanish ode.

[Peter]

Here are the composers of some of our most loved carols:

Once in Royal David's city - H.J. Gauntlett (early 19th century)

O Come All Ye Faithful - John Reading in the early 1700s. The tune was first published in a collection known as "Cantus Diversi" in 1751.

O Little Town of Bethlehem - Lewis Redner (1831-1908) wrote the melody to for the Sunday school children's choir in 1860s Philadelphia

While Shepherds Watched was taken from "Siroe," an opera by Handel

Away in a Manger was composed by William J. Kirkpatrick in 1895.

"Good King Wenceslas" the music originates in 16th century Finland

Joy to the World - Handel

Stille Nacht - Franz Gruber (early 19th century)

Hark the herald angels sing was taken from a cantata Mendelssohn wrote to celebrate the invention of the printing press by Guttenberg.

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'Man know thyself'

[Joy]

Originally posted by Chris:
[B]I'll be playing some carols at Mass this Christmas. I've got to play at two on Chritmas Eve and one on Christmas day, so I'll be busy this year. The carols this year are:

O Come All Ye Faithful
Go Tell It on the Mountain
O Little Town of Bethlehem
It Came upon a Midnight Clear
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Also this Christmas season we will play:

Joy to the World
Angels We Have Heard on High
The First Noel
What Child Is This?

I like all of these. O Holy Night is a favorite of mine. Perhaps I can get the cantor to do it as a prelude. Silent Night sadly seems to be missing this year.

What I don't like is that the book with the piano accompaniments doesn't have real accompaniments to most of these - just SATB. Even though I can stretch across quite a few keys, the tenor and bass are frequently more than 10 white keys apart, and that gets tough! Plus they don't sound that full.

B]

Good luck this weekend Chris. It sounds like your church will be performing some beautiful traditional Christmas music this year. This week we will be attending a Christmas concert at our church where the music director will be singing Ave Maria another favourite, he does it beautifully as well, wonderful voice. Also performing will be a chamber music orchestra performing traditional Christmas carols. I will check the program booklet out when we get there. It's a beautiful Christmas program the church holds.

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[This message has been edited by Joy (edited 12-21-2005).]