Christmas is a season of Music. No other holiday is so associated. I mean, you don't hear Easter or St Patrick's Day carols. There's something about the music at Christmas that makes it FEEL like Christmas. We've already had several Music diaries, ranging from an excellent party mix to an in depth analysis of Vaughan-Williams' Hodie.
So now it's my turn. This is a repost of a diary I did last Christmas. So light some candles, sit by the fire, grab a glass of your favorite Christmas beverage, and relax and enjoy.
We begin with the words from Isaiah as expressed in Messiah:
Now we move to a medley of old carols by Gustav Holst, with the American Boys Choir. Just think what Justin Bieber would sound like if he had this technique.
I have featured the Music of Ralph Vaughan-Williams in previous diaries. Here is another. Written in 1912, this is his Fantasia on Christmas Carols. This is based on old Medieval Carols. Music from that era, combined With Vaughan-Williams' sense of lushness, tonality, and scoring make for a powerful piece.
I still cannot get the embedding working for Part One. Click here to listen to Part One. You won't be disappointed.
We continue with an arrangement by Vaughan-Williams of the "Wassail Song". Wassailing is an old Medieval tradition in the villages. Wassail is a hot fruity alcoholic beverage. Very yummy and powerful. During Christmastide, the a group of villagers would take their drinking bowls and go singing door to door. When they finished, they were offered wassail in their bowls. they went from house to house until they got to the manor house, where there was a festival with food and more drink. this tradition is the ancestor of modern caroling. Personally, I like caroling with wassail at the end. This is one of my favorites since I first sang it in school.
It may seem that I am Anglo-centric where carols are concerned. Not so. One of the most haunting comes from the Ancient Church. This was originally just a simple plainchant antiphon sung by one voice. This is traditionally sung throughout Advent, but was designed to be sung in the octave before Christmas.
Here is one of my favorite French Carols. This too dates back several hundred years, probably to the early Renaissance.
From our friends in Germany, the Immortal Bach..
And to prove that Bach doesn't hold a monopoly on Christmas Oratorios, I present selections from the Christmas Oratorio by Camille Saint-Saens. Note the presence of the organ, as Saint-Saens was a VERY accomplished organist.
From Russia, we have a piece that has become a Christmas favorite. From the suite "Lt. Kije" by Prokofiev, about a fictional officer in the Russian Army, here is "Troika"
This was Peter Yarrow's contribution to the Hanukkah song repertoire. It has grown and spread and is now sung in temples all over the country. It is also a message for all of us, especially now on this site. This is what we must do every day. We've only lit one candle, there are so many more that need to be lit.
And now for some comedy. There are many versions of this online but I love this one. It is courtesy of the Portland (Oregon--Sorry Bill) Gay Men's Chorus. The introduction is a little over the top, especially with alliteration.
But to close this concert, I present the real thing. Coming back to the beginning, the London Symphony Orchestra
Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Festivus, Yule, Saturnalia, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, or just celebrating, please have fun, good times, and stay safe.