Posted on 12/10/2007 10:37:26 AM PST by NYer
The carol, as a religious song for a particular season, dates back to the 13th century but it hit glory days during the next century gaining widespread popularity. Over the following hundred years the carol developed musically and as a literary form in its own right, but was silenced by the Reformation in England and replaced by the metrical Psalm. A resurgence of carols in the 18th century has helped them become the sine qua non of the Christmas season.
‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ was penned in 1739 by Charles Wesley, whose brother John founded the Methodist church.The original title was “Hark how all the welkin rings / Glory to the King of Kings”, welkin meaning ‘the heavens’. Wesley is said to have thought of the hymn while listing to church bells one Christmas day. Originally set to slow and sombre music, Felix Mendelssohn composed the tune sung today in 1840 to commemorate Gutenberg’s printing press. The lyrics were adapted to ‘Hark the herald angels sing’ by William H Cummings in 1855, to fit Mendelssohn’s melody.
O Come All Ye Faithful, is popularly thought to have been written by a 13th-century saint. But the crescendoing carol, originally in Latin and entitled Adeste Fidelis, dates instead to 1743. It was written by John Francis Wade, a Roman Catholic who fled France during the Jacobean rebellion and worked as a music teacher in England. The carol was first translated into English in 1789 for use in the Protestant Church. There are almost 50 different English versions, the most well known was translated in 1841 by Frederick Oakeley an Anglican priest who wrote “Ye faithful, approach ye”. But after his conversion to Catholicism in 1845 Oakeley rewrote the opening lines as ‘O come all ye faithful / Joyfully triumphant.’
O Little Town of Bethlehem was written by Rev Phillips Brooks a Philidelphian vicar, after a horseback ride from Jerusalem to Bethlehem where he helped at Midnight Mass, in 1867. He wrote the following about the journey in 1865.
"I remember standing in the old church in Bethlehem, close to the spot where Jesus was born, when the whole church was ringing hour after hour with splendid hymns of praise to God, how again and again it seemed as if I could hear voices I knew well, telling each other of the Wonderful Night of the Saviour's birth."
The tune ‘Forest Green’ was adapted for the carol by Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Away in a Manger, the Nativity play favourite, was first printed anonymously in the Lutheran book, Little Children’s Book for Schools and Families in 1885. Verse three was added by John T McFarland, and the words were set to music composed by James Murray in Dainty Songs for Little Lads and Lasses in 1887.
Silent Night has a disputed history. Traditionally the tale goes that Mohr and Gruber wrote it on Christmas Eve in Oberndorf, Austria when they found the church organ was eaten away by mice or rust, depending on which story you believe, and had to improvise with voices and a guitar. This charming account has been dispelled as folklore since the discovery of a manuscript that indicates Gruber wrote the score a few years after Mohr wrote the emotive lyrics in 1816. The carol apparently began its journey around the world when master organ builder Karl Mauracher, who had been working on the Oberndorf organ took a copy of it away with him. It is now translated into 150 languages. On Christmas Eve in 1915, from the trenches of World War One, the carol could apparently be heard coming from the German line.
Once in Royal David’s City was written in Hymns for Little Children by Mrs Cecil F. Alexander, the wife of the Bishop of Derry in 1848. The following year, Henry Gauntlett discovered the poem and set it to music.
While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night has an illustrious origin as the creation of Poet Laureate Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady in 1703 during the reign of Queen Anne. At that time only the Psalms were sung in the Anglican Church and Nahum and Tate were famous for paraphrasing them into rhyme to be sung. The melody of the carol comes from Handel’s opera ‘Siroe’.
In the Bleak Midwinter was written by poet Christina Rossetti for Scribner’s Monthly as their Christmas poem. There are many musical arrangements for the carol the most famous was composed by Gustav Holst in the early 20th century.
See Him Lying in a Bed of Straw is a relatively recent addition to the carol canon. Written by Michael Perry and arranged by Stephen Coates it’s a modern gospel carol that is becoming a classic.
Joy to the World is credited to Isaac Watts in 1719, who is known at the 'Father of English Hymnology'. The rousing music by Lowell Mason is said to have been inspired by Handel’s Messiah, in particular the refrain “And heaven and nature sing”.
Here are the top Carols being sung in churches across the country this year according to our poll.
Methodist
Evangelical
Baptist
Church of England
The Catholic Church in England and Wales Network and the Elim Pentecostal Church were unable to provide any details.
Hardihar, of course.
Ah, the French Organ Movement.
Franck has to stand next to Bach in his organ music. It far outranks his symphony, tone poems and (maybe) the Violin Sonata in A.
His Grand Symphonic Piece in F# minor is a masterpiece and shows just how effective he was as a composer for organ. The pedal work in the finale is mindboggling.
The Fantasie in A is not something you want to hear in a dark room. He spins a 4 bar unit out to heavenly length but spends very little time in A Major, using 3 sharps as a key of convenience while he travels elsewhere. And it's a very spooky trip, ending in A minor.
But some of the Lieder send chills up my spine. "Der Arme Tambourg'selle" just for example
I took German for ten years so I'm used to morbid. There's a strong streak of that in almost any German poet.
There are rumors in the air of a new organ . . . maybe when it's installed (if we're all still alive then). The current organ is not that great, certainly not worthy of the beautiful room, which has perfect acoustics for chant and polyphony and also for organ.
"Revelge" is another deliciously morbid piece with that driving rhythm that stops for nothing, including death.
"Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen" is quoted in the 1st, and "Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt" forms the scherzo of the 2nd -- with an interruption for the End of the World Motif (used again twice in the finale).
The 5-movement of the 1st that I have is by Mehta conducting the Israel Phil from 1987 on EMI. It's not as good as Bernstein's 4-movement version from the Fifties, but it has that "missing" 2nd movement.
Don’t forget “O Come All Ye Ambivalent”.
Possibly because it looks forward to Christ's return as much as or more than it looks back at His birth.
I have a special devotion to St. Anthony, and that's why I got the CD for Christmas! . . . and one thing led to another.
"Revelge" ought to be illustrated by Goya. But "Wo die schönen Trompetten blasen" is just sad and beautiful.
Same here - I love Perry Como’s version (to me whenever he got to the part “fall on your knees, o hear the angel voice”) I really literally felt like falling to my knees in worship of the Savior...Awesome song...Josh Grobin does good also! LOVE his Christmas tape (especially the one “I’ll be home for CHristmas” where they have taped greeting from military folks away serving to their families - makes me cry EVERY time!)
That's one of my favorites too.
Alison Krauss sings the Charlie Brown Christmas song, “Christmas is Near,” I think. And I love the way she sings it.
I wonder if carols are by definition choral numbers. “O Holy Night” is my favorite, also, but it is sung as a solo, not as a choral number.
I probably shouldn’t admit it, but I never heard of these two:
Once in Royal David’s City
In the Bleak Midwinter
I’m wondering where “Angels we have heard on high (Gloria, in excelsis deo)” is.
“Gloria, in Excelsis Deo” - an excellent choice!
Did you see the OCP’s NEW missalette? The 2008 version is by far the worst ever. For instance: Five different glorias, all wretched, all by St. Louis Jesuits, and all canonically improper in that the congregation only participates in a one-line chorus. And more pagan witchy-poo than you can shake a stick at. Nearly every song in it reads like a sorority ritual.
Missalette or "Music Issue"? I've seen them ... in that my current Parish uses them ... but haven't studied them in any great detail.
Five different glorias,
Because we must have "choice" and "diversity".
all wretched,
Of course
all by St. Louis Jesuits
Did music even exist before the SLJs?
, and all canonically improper
Middle finger to B16?
To their credit, the guitar-bangers have been using "O Come Emanuel" for a processional ... and one or two other, reasonably decent hymns during Mass. But then it goes down hill.
Let us not pollute this thread with any more talk of They From The Pacific Northwest Who Shall Not Be Named.
On Jordan’s Bank
On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Awake and hearken, for He brings
Glad tidings of the King of kings.
Then cleansed be ev’ry heart from sin;
Make straight the way of God within;
Oh, let us all our hearts prepare
For Christ to come and enter there.
To heal the sick stretch out Thine hand,
And bid the fallen sinner stand;
Shine forth, and let Thy light restore
Earth’s own true loveliness once more.
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee,
Whose advent sets Thy people free;
Whom with the Father we adore
And Holy Ghost forever more.
Charles Coffin (composed 1736)
>> They From The Pacific Northwest Who Shall Not Be Named. <<
From now on, OPP. (Oregon Pagan Press) (How long is it before “Who’s down with OPP?” is used as a recessional?)
>> Let us not pollute this thread <<
Oh, sorry.
1. O holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world1 rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;
Chorus
Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine.
2. Led by the light of faith serenely beaming Chorus
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the wise men from Orient land
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, He guardeth us from danger2
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
3. Truly He taught us to love one another Chorus
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord, O praise His name forever!
His pow'r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow'r and glory evermore proclaim!
Excellent choice for today.
Here are your words — now everyone sing! And hit the high notes! LOL!
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