14 posts tagged “carol”
Last night, we watched the original movie, "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. It was fun. This is a wonderful version of the song done by John Denver. White Christmas' are but a fond memory here in way South Texas... So, we'll just look at these pictures and dream of other days and times...
When we lived back in Georgia, the local NPR (National Public Radio) station would play "live" from Cambridge in the UK the King's College Choir's Christmas Eve performance of the "Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols" which always began with a solo voice from the boy's choir singing, "Once in David's Royal City." When this BBC broadcast came on the radio, we knew what Christmas was ALMOST here for us, too! The excitement began to build, just like the crecendos in this regal song.
Lyrics
- Once in royal David's city
- Stood a lowly cattle shed,
- Where a mother laid her baby
- In a manger for His bed:
- Mary was that mother mild,
- Jesus Christ her little child.
- Stood a lowly cattle shed,
- He came down to earth from heaven,
- Who is God and Lord of all,
- And His shelter was a stable,
- And His cradle was a stall;
- With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
- Lived on earth our Savior Holy.
- Who is God and Lord of all,
- And through all His wondrous childhood
- He would honor and obey,
- Love and watch the lowly Maiden,
- In whose gentle arms He lay:
- Christian children all must be
- Mild, obedient, good as He.
- He would honor and obey,
- For He is our childhood's pattern; (1)
- Day by day, like us He grew;
- He was little, weak and helpless,
- Tears and smiles like us He knew;
- And He feeleth for our sadness,
- And He shareth in our gladness.
- Day by day, like us He grew;
- And our eyes at last shall see Him,
- Through His own redeeming love;
- For that Child so dear and gentle
- Is our Lord in heaven above,
- And He leads His children on
- To the place where He is gone.
- Through His own redeeming love;
- Not in that poor lowly stable,
- With the oxen standing by,
- We shall see Him; but in heaven,
- Set at God's right hand on high;
- Where like stars His children crowned (2)
- All in white shall wait around.
- With the oxen standing by,
(1) Or: "Jesus" is our childhood's pattern
(2) Or: "When" like stars His children crown'd
Once In Royal David's City is a Christmas carol, which was originally a poem written by Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander, who in 1848 married an Anglican clergyman, and in 1867, upon her husband's consecration, thereby became a bishop's wife. Once In Royal David's City was published in 1848 in Miss Cecil Humphreys' hymnbook Hymns for little Children. A year later, H.J. Gauntlett discovered the poem and set it to music.
Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Since 1919, the King's College Chapel (King's College, Cambridge) has begun their Christmas Eve service, Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, with "Once in Royal David's City" as the processional. The first verse is sung by a member of the Choir of King's Chapel as a solo. The second verse is sung by the choir, and in the third verse the congregation joins. Excluding the first verse, the hymn is accompanied by the organ. It is estimated that there are millions of listeners worldwide who tune in to this service.
"The City"
The city that the song speaks of is Bethlehem, which the New Testament records as the historical birthplace of Jesus and also of his ancestor King David.
The Wexford Carol (Irish: Carúl Loch Garman) is a traditional religious Irish Christmas carol originating from County Wexford, and specifically, Enniscorthy (whence its name), and dating to the 12th century.[1] The subject of the song is that of the nativity of Jesus Christ.
The song is sometimes known by its first verse, "Good people all this Christmas time."
English Lyrics
- Good people all, this Christmas time,
- Consider well and bear in mind
- What our good God for us has done
- In sending his beloved son
- With Mary holy we should pray,
- To God with love this Christmas Day
- In Bethlehem upon that morn,
- There was a blessed Messiah born
- Consider well and bear in mind
- The night before that happy tide
- The noble Virgin and her guide
- Were long time seeking up and down
- To find a lodging in the town
- But mark right well what came to pass
- From every door repelled, alas
- As was foretold, their refuge all
- Was but a humble ox's stall
- The noble Virgin and her guide
- Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
- Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
- To whom God's angel did appear
- Which put the shepherds in great fear
- Prepare and go, the angels said
- To Bethlehem, be not afraid
- For there you'll find, this happy morn
- A princely babe, sweet Jesus, born
- Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
- With thankful heart and joyful mind
- The shepherds went the babe to find
- And as God's angel had foretold
- They did our Saviour Christ behold
- Within a manger he was laid
- And by his side a virgin maid
- Attending on the Lord of Life
- Who came on earth to end all strife
- The shepherds went the babe to find
- There were three wise men from afar
- Directed by a glorious star
- And on they wandered night and day
- Until they came where Jesus lay
- And when they came unto that place
- Where our beloved Messiah lay
- They humbly cast them at his feet
- With gifts of gold and incense sweet.[2]
- Directed by a glorious star
To all of those who are serving or who have served on behalf of all and for all...
Lyrics
O Holy Night - Version 1:
- Oh holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
- It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
- Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
- Till He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
- A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
- For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
- It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
-
- Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
- Oh night divine, Oh night when Christ was born;
- Oh night divine, Oh night, Oh night Divine.
- Oh night divine, Oh night when Christ was born;
- Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
- Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
- 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.
- With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
-
- He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
- Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
- Behold your King, Behold your King.
- Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
- He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
- Truly He taught us to love one another;
- 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.
- His law is love and His gospel is peace.
-
- Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
- His power and glory evermore proclaim.
- His power and glory evermore proclaim.
- His power and glory evermore proclaim.
- Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
"O Holy Night" ("Cantique de Noël") is a well-known Christmas carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem "Minuit, chrétiens" by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877), an accomplished amateur. Cappeau was asked to write a Christmas poem by a parish priest. It has become a standard modern carol for solo performance with an operatic finish.
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Origins
In the carol, the singer recalls the birth of Jesus. It was translated into English by Unitarian minister John Sullivan Dwight, editor of Dwight's Journal of Music in 1855 (note the abolitionist reference in the third verse: "for the slave is our brother"), and lyrics also exist in other languages.
On 24 December 1906, Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian inventor, broadcast the first AM radio program, which included him playing "O Holy Night" on the violin. The carol therefore appears to have been the first piece of music to be broadcast on radio.
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times did'st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel – lyrics
History:
O come, O come, Emmanuel is a translation of the Christian Latin text ("Veni, veni, Emmanuel") by John Mason Neale in the mid-19th century. It is a metrical version of a collation of various Advent Antiphons (the acrostic O Antiphons), which now serves as a popular Advent and Christmas hymn. Its origins are unclear, it is thought that the antiphons are from at least the 8th Century, but "Veni, veni Emmanuel" may well be 12th Century in origin.[1][2]
The text is based on the biblical prophesy from Isaiah 7:14 that states that God will give Israel a sign that will be called Immanuel (Lit.: God with us). The Gospel of Matthew, (Matthew 1:23), states fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
It is believed that the traditional music stems from a 15th Century French processional for Franciscan nuns,[3] but it may also have 8th Century Gregorian origins. It is one of the most solemn Advent hymns. In the Catholic church, two subsequent verses are sung each week of Advent, beginning with the First Sunday of Advent as verses 1 & 2. The Second Sunday of Advent, verses 3 & 4 are sung. On the Third Sunday of Advent, verses 5 & 6. On the Fourth Sunday of Advent however, verses 1 & 7 are then sung.
Performance variations exist today over the rhythm of the music. Many performances pause on the last syllable of "Emmanuel", in both the verse and the chorus, however often performances omit these pauses to give a greater sense of understanding to the chorus "Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel". If a pause is included, the meaning is lost as an audible comma is heard between "Emmanuel" and "shall come to thee...".
The composer James MacMillan wrote a percussion concerto based on this carol in 1991, and it was later premiered during the 1992 BBC Proms.
- God rest ye merry, gentlemen
- Let nothing you dismay
- For Jesus Christ our Saviour (or Remember Christ our Saviour)
- Was born upon this day (or Was born on Christmas Day)
- To save us all from Satan's power (or To save poor souls from Satan's power)
- When we were gone astray (or When they had gone astray)
- O tidings of comfort and joy,
- Comfort and joy
- O tidings of comfort and joy
- Comfort and joy
- Let nothing you dismay
- In Bethlehem, in Jewry, (or Judah, literally, "in Israel")
- This blessèd Babe was born (or The humble Christ was born)
- And laid within a manger (or And God sent us salvation)
- Upon this blessèd morn (or That blessed Christmas morn)
- To which His Mother Mary
- Did nothing take in scorn
- O tidings of comfort and joy,
- Comfort and joy
- O tidings of comfort and joy
- Comfort and joy
- This blessèd Babe was born (or The humble Christ was born)
- From God our Heavenly Father
- A blessèd Angel came;
- And unto certain Shepherds
- Brought tidings of the same:
- How that in Bethlehem was born
- The Son of God by Name.
- O tidings of comfort and joy,
- Comfort and joy
- O tidings of comfort and joy
- Comfort and joy
- A blessèd Angel came;
- "Fear not then," said the Angel,
- "Let nothing you affright,
- This day is born a Saviour
- Of a pure Virgin bright,
- To free all those who trust in Him
- From Satan's power and might."
- O tidings of comfort and joy,
- Comfort and joy
- O tidings of comfort and joy
- Comfort and joy
- "Let nothing you affright,
- The shepherds at those tidings
- Rejoiced much in mind,
- And left their flocks a-feeding
- In tempest, storm and wind:
- And went to Bethlehem straightway
- This blessed Babe to find. (or The Son of God to find)
- O tidings of comfort and joy,
- Comfort and joy
- O tidings of comfort and joy
- Comfort and joy
- Rejoiced much in mind,
- But when to Bethlehem they came (or And when they came to Bethlehem)
- Whereat this Infant lay, (or Where our dear Saviour lay)
- They found Him in a manger,
- Where oxen feed on hay;
- His Mother Mary kneeling, (or His mother Mary kneeling down,)
- Unto the Lord did pray.
- O tidings of comfort and joy,
- Comfort and joy
- O tidings of comfort and joy
- Comfort and joy
- Whereat this Infant lay, (or Where our dear Saviour lay)
- Now to the Lord sing praises,
- All you within this place,
- And with true love and brotherhood
- Each other now embrace;
- This holy tide of Christmas
- All other doth efface.
- O tidings of comfort and joy,
- Comfort and joy
- O tidings of comfort and joy
- Comfort and joy
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (or God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen and God Bless You Merry, Gentlemen) is a traditional Christmas carol. The tune to which it is generally sung is usually in the key of E minor and is in common time or cut time. It seems to have no name but is generally indicated as English traditional and is amenable to arrangement into a wide variety of musical styles.
History
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" was first published in Britain in 1833, when it appeared in Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern, a collection of seasonal carols gathered by William B. Sandys, though its incipit was in William Hone's "List of Christmas carols now annually printed" in Ancient Mysteries Described, 1823. The author is unknown.
This is the carol of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, 1843: "...at the first sound of — "God bless you merry, gentlemen! May nothing you dismay!"— Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action, that the singer fled in terror, leaving the keyhole to the fog and even more congenial frost."
The song perhaps alludes to the raucous behaviour of men who were drinking, eating and partying during the Christmas season. It was written as a reminder of the true meaning of the day. "Remember Christ our Saviour was born on Christmas Day" was a reminder of a greater happiness in store.
This carol also features in the second movement of the Carol Symphony by Victor Hely-Hutchinson.
- All you within this place,
Famed meringue musician from my hubby's land - the Dominican Republic - does a wonderful performance of Noche de Paz - Silent Night - in Spanish language.
Good King Wenceslas is one of my very favorite Christmas Carols, partly because it refers to the "Feast of Stephen" which is also my birthday. I love the tale of this merciful and Saintly King who serves the poor and needy.
From Wikipedia:
"Good King Wenceslas" is a popular Christmas carol about a king who goes out to give alms to a poor peasant on St. Stephen's Day (December 26 in the Western Church; December 27th and January 4th in the Eastern Orthodox Church), the day after Christmas. In the journey, his page gives up the struggle against the cold weather and is aided by the king who provides the miracle of the warmth that’s needed in his footprints in the snow. The subject of the carol is the historical Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (907-935).
The tune is to "Tempus Adest Floridum" ("It is time for flowering"), a 13th-century spring carol, first published in the Swedish/Finnish Piae Cantiones, 1582. The carol is also found in Carmina Burana as CB 142. "Tempus Adest Floridum" was translated into English as "The Flower Carol", and was recorded by Jean Ritchie on the album "Carols For all Seasons" (1959), with the "Good King Wenceslas" tune.
In 1853, G. J. R. Gordon, Her Majesty's Envoy and Minister at Stockholm, gave a rare copy of the 1582 edition of Piae Cantiones to The Reverend John Mason Neale (Warden of Sackville College, East Grinstead, Sussex) and to The Reverend Thomas Helmore (Vice-Principal of St. Mark's College, Chelsea). The book was entirely unknown in England at that time. John Mason Neale is also credited with authoring the lyrics to several other Christmas Carols, including "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." Rev. Neale wrote another book entitled, "Exhiles of the Cebenna," published by Paidea Classics Press, which I used in a language arts/history course to help students understand the struggles of early Christians in the then pagan persecutions of Roman Gaul.
Neale translated some of the carols and hymns, and in 1853, he and Helmore published 12 carols in Carols for Christmas-tide (with music from Piae Cantiones). In 1854, they published 12 more in Carols for Easter-tide. The inspirational copy of Piae Cantiones is now said to be in the British Museum.
The lyrics are by Neale (1818–1866). He may have written the hymn some time earlier; he related the story on which it is based in Deeds of Faith (1849). The usual English spelling of King Václav's name, Wenceslaus, is occasionally encountered in later textual variants of the carol, although it was not used by Neale in the original. The lyrics are as follows:
- Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen,
- When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;
- Brightly shone the moon that night, tho' the frost was cruel,
- When a poor man came in sight gath'ring winter fuel.
- When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;
- "Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st it, telling,
- Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?"
- "Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain;
- Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes' fountain."
- Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?"
- "Bring me flesh, and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither:
- Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither."
- Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together;
- Through the rude wind's wild lament and the bitter weather.
- Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither."
- "Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blows stronger;
- Fails my heart, I know not how, I can go no longer."
- "Mark my footsteps, my good page. Tread thou in them boldly:
- Thou shalt find the winter's rage freeze thy blood less coldly."
- Fails my heart, I know not how, I can go no longer."
- In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
- Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
- Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
- Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.
Martyr Wenceslaus the Prince of the Czechs
Commemorated on September 28The Holy Prince Wenceslaus (Vyacheslav) of the Czechs was a grandson of the holy Martyr and Princess Ludmilla (September 16), and he was raised by her in deep piety. He began to rule at age eighteen after the death of his father Prince Bratislav (+ 920).
In spite of his youthful age, he ruled wisely and justly and concerned himself much about the Christian enlightenment of the people. The holy prince was a widely educated man, and he studied in the Latin and Greek languages.
St Wenceslaus was peace-loving. He built and embellished churches, and in Prague, the Czech capital, he raised up a magnificent church in the name of St Vitus, and he had respect for the clergy. Envious nobles decided to murder the saint and, at first, to incite his mother against him, and later to urge his younger brother, Boleslav, to occupy the princely throne.
Boleslav invited his brother to the dedication of a church, and then asked him to stay another day. In spite of the warnings of his servants, the holy prince refused to believe in a conspiracy and exposed his life to the will of God. On the following day, September 28, 935, when Wenceslaus went to Matins, he was wickedly murdered at the doors of the church by his own brother and his brother's servants. His body was stabbed and discarded without burial.
The mother, hearing of the murder of her son, found and placed his body in a recently consecrated church at the princely court. They were not able to wash off the blood splashed on the church doors, but after three days it disappeared by itself.
After repenting of his sin, the murderer transferred the relics of St Wenceslaus to Prague, where they were placed in the church of St Vitus, which the martyr himself had constructed (the transfer of the relics of St Wenceslaus is celebrated on March 4). The memory of Prince Wenceslaus has been honored from of old in the Russian Orthodox Church. - Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
| Apostle Stephen the Archdeacon of the Seventy Commemorated on December 27 & January 4 |
| The Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen was the eldest of the seven deacons, established by the Apostles themselves, and therefore he is called "archdeacon." He was the first Christian martyr, and he suffered for Christ at about age 30. In the words of Asterias, he was "the starting point of the martyrs, the instructor of suffering for Christ, the foundation of righteous confession, since Stephen was the first to shed his blood for the Gospel." Filled with the Holy Spirit, St Stephen preached Christianity and defeated Jewish teachers of the Law in debate. The Jews maligned St Stephen, saying that he had uttered blasphemy against God and against Moses. St Stephen came before the Sanhedrin and the High Priest to answer these charges. He gave a fiery speech, in which he recounted the history of the Jewish nation, and denounced the Jews for persecuting the prophets, and also for executing the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ (Acts ch. 7). During his speech, St Stephen suddenly saw the heavens opened and Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God. The Jews shouted and covered their ears, and rushed at him. They dragged him out of the city and stoned him, but the holy martyr prayed for his murderers. Far off on the heights stood the Mother of God with the holy Apostle John the Theologian, and She prayed fervently for the martyr. Before his death St Stephen said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. O Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." Then he joyfully gave up his pure soul to Christ. The body of the holy Protomartyr Stephen, left to be eaten by beasts, was secretly taken up by the Jewish teacher Gamaliel and his son Habib, who buried Stephen on his estate. They both believed in Christ, and later receivedholy Baptism. |