Living Room Carols
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O Little Town
Bob Chilcott
Taken from Bob Chilcott’s larger work “On Christmas Night,” this beautiful piece combines an original melody by Chilcott with the British folk tune “Forest Green” which was adapted into a hymn by Ralph Vaughan Williams and published in 1906. O little town of Bethlehem, How still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep The silent stars go by. Yet in the dark streets shineth The everlasting light; The hopes and fears of all the years Are met in thee tonight. O morning stars together Proclaim the holy birth, And praises sing to God the King, And peace to men on earth; For Christ is born of Mary, And gathered all above, While mortals sleep, the angels keep Their watch of wond’ring love. How silently, how silently The wondrous gift is giv’n! So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of his heav’n. No ear may hear his coming; But in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive him, still The dear Christ enters in.
Gabriel's Message
arr. Stephen Paulus
This Basque Christmas folk carol was originally based on a 13th or 14th century Latin carol called “Angelus ad virginem”. It was brilliantly arranged for choir and harp by Stephen Paulus, a prolific American composer who passed away in October 2014 from complications of a stroke. Paulus wrote over 400 works for choir, including his poignant anthem “Pilgrims’ Hymn,” which was performed at the funerals of both Presidents Reagan and Ford. That piece also served as my personal introduction to the composer and one of the pieces that made me fall in love with choral music as a whole. The angel Gabriel from heaven came, His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame. “All hail!” said he, “thou lowly maiden Mary, Most highly favour’d lady.” Gloria! “For known a blessed Mother thou shalt be, All generations laud and honor thee. Thy Son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold. Most highly favour’d lady.” Gloria! Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head. “To me be as it pleaseth God,” she said. “My soul shall laud and magnify His Holy name.” Most highly favour’d lady, Gloria! Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ was born, In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn, And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say Most highly favour’d lady, Gloria! Blessed Mother, gentle Mary, Gloria!
Carol: O Come, O Come Emmanuel
(Verses 1 and 4)
SHEET MUSIC
O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high, And cheer us by thy drawing nigh; disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadow put to flight. (Refrain)
Evergreen
Daniel Pinkham
My first introduction to composer Daniel Pinkham was his beautiful Christmas Cantata so I was delighted when I stumbled upon this simple Christmas carol for unison voices. It was commissioned by the Forest Hills Presbyterian Church in Tampa, Florida in 1976 and originally featured “electronic tape” that you would play on a reel-to-reel player. The tape included electronic sounds that contributed to the atmosphere like “tiny sparks of light from the candles on the tree”. I regrettably have yet to hear the tape, but maybe some day I’ll get my hands on an old reel-to-reel. For today, we can revel in the soothing sounds of piano, harp, handbells, and the beautiful voices of Benedict, Steve O, and Michael. How fine the sweetness from the bough, Evergreen, everliving, Like the pray’r offer’d now For a whole world’s forgiving; While the Christ Child is sleeping, Worlds of woe in his keeping, Worlds of joy in his dream. Lord, redeem us, redeem us! That when thou art waking, The hearts we uplift Shall be thy Christmas gift And be well worth thy taking. How bright the radiance of the tree, Evergreen, everlasting, Like the feast day to be After long years of fasting. Bright in hope Christmas morning To the Christ Child returning, Once again we believe. Lord, receive us, receive us! When we come before thee, The heart’s joy we bring Noel! Noel! Shall sing And for ever adore thee.
Pur Ti Miro
Claudio Monteverdi
What on earth does 17th century Italian opera have to do with the holidays? Well, in this case, admittedly not much. But this piece gives me the warm fuzzies so I thought, eh, why not! I first sang it when I went to the Texas Toot early music workshop a few years ago (check it out!) and it’s now one of my favorite duets. Claudio Monteverdi’s 1643 opera, L’incoronazione di Poppea (“The Coronation of Poppea”), begins with a clash between mythological deities. In the prologue which precedes the first act, the goddesses of Fortune and Virtue each argue that they hold the most power over humankind. Soon, their disagreement is interrupted by the god of Love, who claims the greatest power of all, with the bold proclamation, “I tell the virtues what to do, I govern the fortunes of men.” It’s a reality which is affirmed in the three-act opera’s rapturous final scene as Nero and Poppea sing this duet. When L’incoronazione di Poppea was premiered at Venice’s Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo during the carnival season of 1643, audiences would have known the horrors which lurked beyond this blissful final scene. As the story goes, Nero, Emperor of Rome between 54 and 68 AD, went on to attack the pregnant Poppea in a fit of rage, leading to her death. (So Christmasy, right!?) Regardless, Pur ti miro is one of opera’s most intimate and blissful expressions of romantic love with occasional aching dissonances melting into sunny parallel thirds and text that is passionate and direct. (Adapted from https://tinyurl.com/mtfra2tz) Pur ti miro, pur ti godo, Pur ti stringo, pur t'annodo ; Più non peno, più non moro, O mia vita, o mio tesoro. Io son tua, tuo son io, Speme mia, dillo, di. Tu sei pur l'idolo mio, Si, mio ben, si, mio cor, mia vita, si. I gaze upon you, I desire you, I embrace you, I enchain you ; no more grieving, no more dying, o my life, o my beloved. I am yours, yours am I, my hope, tell it, tell. You are truly my idol, yes, my love, yes, my heart, my life, yes.
Carol: I'll Be Home For Christmas
Walter Kent
I'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me. Please have snow and mistletoe and presents on the tree. Christmas Eve will find me where the lovelight gleams. I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.
My Spirit Sang All Day
Gerald Finzi
Born in England in 1901, the reclusive and introspective composer Gerald Finzi lived only 55 years, dying before his time from leukemia. During his brief life, he dedicated himself to music. Much of his time was spent composing, attending concerts, lecturing, collecting music, and befriending the likes of Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams. His output includes orchestral and choral music as well as many solo songs and essays. He shows a brilliance in the way he sets words by finding the essence of the text without the need for over-embellishment (indeed, much of his vocal music is primarily set syllabically). My Spirit Sang All Day is from a set of seven part-song settings of poetry by Robert Bridges (1844-1930) and is an ecstatic declaration of the joy wrought by love. - Matthew D. Oltman My spirit sang all day O my joy. Nothing my tongue could say, Only My joy! My heart an echo caught O my joy And spake, tell me thy thought, Hide not thy joy. My eyes gan peer around, O my joy What beauty hast thou found? Shew us thy joy. My jealous ears grew whist; O my joy Music from heaven is’t Sent for our joy? She also came and heard; O my joy, What, said she, is this word? What is thy joy? And I replied, O see, O my joy, ‘Tis thee, I cried, ‘tis thee: Thou art my joy.
In Splendoribus Sanctorum
James Macmillan
In writing the Strathclyde Motets, the larger work from which this piece is taken, Scottish composer James MacMillan set out to write a series of motets which were simple to put together but still provided an atmospheric mood and felt like full and complete motets. These in turn wonderfully highlight the words he sets. “In splendoribus sanctorum” is a communion motet for Nativity Midnight Mass (Psalm 109: 3) and highlights the mystery of the Christmas story. Ps. 109:3 (Vulgate) In splendoribus sanctorum, ex utero ante luciferum genuite. In the splendors of the saints, out of the womb before the dawn I begot you.
Carol: In the Bleak Midwinter
Gustav Holst
Verses 1 and 4
SHEET MUSIC
In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone. Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, in the bleak midwinter, long ago. What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb. If I were a wise man, I would do my part. Yet what I can, I give him: give my heart.
This Endris Night
Sarah Quartel
Sarah Quartel's delicate adaptation of this 15th century English Christmas carol artfully utilizes dotted rhythms in 6/8 meter to create a lilting feel. You’ll hear the melody pass between each voice smoothly and elegantly. The poetry is just as beautiful as the music, celebrating the special relationship between mother and child. This endris night I saw a sight, A star as bright as day, And ever among, a maiden sung, “Lully, by by, lullay.” This lovely lady sat and sang, And to her child did say: “My son, my brother, father dear, Why liest thou thus in hay? My sweetest bird, ‘tis thus required, Though thou be king veray, But nevertheless I will not cease To sing, ‘By by, lullay.’” The child then spake whilst she did sing, And to his mother did say, “Yea, I am known as Heaven King In crib though I be laid. For angels bright down on me light; Thou knowest ‘tis no nay. And for that sight thou may delight To sing, “By by, lullay.’” “Now sweet son, since it is so, that all is at thy will, I pray thee grant to me a boon, If it be right and skill, That child or man, who will or can, Be merry on my day, To bliss them bring and I shall sing, ‘Lully, by by, lullay.’”
Chiribim Chiribom
arr. Robert Applebaum
It seems like Cantorum concerts aren’t complete without at least one song that utilizes nonsense syllables instead of text and this concert is no different! This fun arrangement of a classic Yiddish folk song by Robert Applebaum (with a nonsense title!) combines lyrics about Purim, Hanukkah, tales of Hasidic miracles, and the Wise Men of Chelm into delightful rhymes. Popularized by the iconic Jewish duo the Barry Sisters in 1965, this song may date back to the time of the troubadours of the Middle Ages. Some of the humor in the first verse comes from the nonsequitur of juxtaposing the holiday of Purim with the playing of dreidls. The second verse satirizes the miracles that were attributed to the Chassidic rabbis by their followers. Kashe is bulgar wheat. Kneidekh are dumplings. Chassidim are followers of a Chassid (a rabbi who stresses spirituality in everyday life more than academic learnedness). –adapted from program notes by Robert Applebaum Oy, lomir zingen, kinderlakh, a zemerl tzuzamen, A nigendl, a freilekhn, mit vertelach voss gramen. Die mamme kokht a lokshn zup mit kashe un mit kneidlach, Kumt der yontif Purim, veln mir shpeeln zikh in dreidlakh! Amol iz undzer rebenyu gegangen unter vegn, Mit amol heibt on tzuplyukhn ongeesn a regn. Shrait der rebbe tzu der khmare “Her oyf geesn vasser!” Zenen alle Khasidim trikn aroys; nor der rebbe iz aroys a naser. Oh, let us sing, children, a little song together. A simple, a happy tune with words that rhyme. Mama cooks a noodle soup with kashe and with kneidlekh, And when the holiday of Purim comes, we will play dreidls! Once our dear rabbi was going down the road. When suddenly rain started pouring down. The rabbi shouted to the storm clouds “Stop pouring this water!” So all of the Chassidim came out dry; only the rabbi came out wet.
Carol: Ding Dong Merrily on High
Verses 1 and 2
SHEET MUSIC
Ding dong! merrily on high in heaven the bells are ringing: Ding dong! verily the sky is riv'n with angel singing. Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis! E'en so here below, below, let steeple bells be swungen, and i-o, i-o, i-o, by priest and people sungen. Gloria, Hosanna in Excelsis!
Niño Precioso
arr. Rosephanye Powell
Niño Precioso is a Nicaraguan folk song. Traditionally, Nicaraguan mothers sang this song to their children as they rocked them to sleep. It also might be sung by the children of a village as they joyfully celebrate the birth of a newborn baby. This up-tempo arrangement is in the style of a Spanish dance. –Rosephanye Powell Niño precioso, más que diamantes, Risueño, niño, Dios del amor. Duerme tranquilo, duerme entretanto, Eleva un canto mi humilde voz. Duerme chiquitito, que hoy hace frío, Duerme chiquitito, yo velaré. Precious child, more precious than diamonds, Cheerful child, God of love. Sleep peacefully, sleep while My humble voice raises a song. Sleep, little one, it is cold today, Sleep, little one, I will keep watch.
Interlude from Ceremony of Carols
Benjamin Britten
This gorgeous piece for solo harp is taken from Benjamin Britten’s extended Christmas choral composition A Ceremony of Carols, which is one of Britten’s best-known and most-performed works. He composed it in 1942 on sea voyage from the United States to England, at the same time he was composing his Hymn to St. Cecilia. Originally conceived as a series of unrelated songs, it was later unified into one piece by basing some of the movements on the Gregorian antiphon "Hodie Christus natus est,” including this harp solo. It creates a sense of angelic bliss with its slow tempo, shifting rhythm, and progressively soft nature.
Es tönt ein voller Harfenklang
Johannes Brahms
Here again is another piece that has nothing to do with the holidays. I just thought it sounded beautiful and since we’re sharing music in our big living room, anything goes! It is taken from a set of four choral songs that were originally scored for SSA choir, two horns, and harp. After Brahms wrote this set, he rarely wrote music for harp thereafter, remarking that he was not particularly fond of the instrument when it had to go and “make an effect.” These works owe their existence to Brahms’s directorship of the Hamburg Women’s Choir and even though this piece is about love lost and not about a holiday, we hope you enjoy our rendition for trio, piano, and flugelhorn! Es tönt ein voller Harfenklang, Den Lieb und Sehnsucht schwellen, Er dringt zum Herzen tief und bang Und lӓẞt das Auge quellen. O rinnet Trӓnen, nur herab, O schlage Herz mit Beben! Es sanken Lieb und Glück ins Grab, Verloren ist das Leben! A full harp-sound rings out, That swells to love and yearning; It pierces the heart deep, with angst, And makes the eye well up. O run, tears, just run down; O pound, heart, with trembling! Love and Happiness sank into the grave; Life is lost!
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
Elizabeth Poston
This classic Christmas song originates from an 18th century poem that may serve an allusion to both the apple tree in Song of Solomon 2:3, and to Jesus’s description of a tree of life in Luke 13:18–19 and elsewhere in the New Testament. Apple trees were commonly grown in England and there was an old English tradition of wassailing or wishing health to apple trees on Christmas Eve. Another motivation of the song may have been to Christianize old English winter season songs used in wassailing the apple orchards — pouring out libations or engaging in similar ceremonies to seek fertility of the trees. The tree of life my soul hath seen, Laden with fruit and always green; The trees of nature fruitless be, Compared with Christ the apple tree. His beauty doth all things excel, By faith I know but ne'er can tell The glory which I now can see, In Jesus Christ the apple tree. For happiness I long have sought, And pleasure dearly I have bought; I missed of all but now I see 'Tis found in Christ the apple tree. I'm weary with my former toil, Here I will sit and rest a while, Under the shadow I will be, Of Jesus Christ the apple tree. This fruit doth make my soul to thrive, It keeps my dying faith alive; Which makes my soul in haste to be With Jesus Christ the Appletree.
Carol: Silent Night
Verses 1 and 2
SHEET MUSIC
Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright round yon virgin mother and child. Holy infant so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, holy night, shepherds quake at the sight, glories stream from heaven afar, heav'nly hosts sing alleluia. Christ the savior is born, Christ the savior is born.
In the Silent Night
Sergei Rachmaninov
This gorgeous piece from a set of Six Romances for Voice and Piano by Rachmaninov has been adapted beautifully for trumpet and piano by Thomas Hooten, who serves as the principal Trumpet for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. See below for the original text of the piece: Oh, for long - in the silence of the mysterious night, Your guileful utterance, smile, chance gaze, Your hair, supple to my fingers, your thickly braided hair, Will I repel from my thoughts, and bring forth again. I will whisper and correct bygone words, My conversations with you, filled with shame, And as if drunk against my mind, By your cherished name, I call on the darkness of the night.
Prayer Before Sleep
Sid Robinovitch
Prayer Before Sleep is the sixth movement of a choral suite called the Talmud Suite which was premiered in 1986 by the Elmer Iseler Singers in Detroit, Michigan. The Talmud is a vast corpus of law, commentaries, legend, and philosophy, compiled more or less independently in Palestine and Babylonia between the third and eighth centuries. The arguments and dissenting opinions of the leaving scholars and schools of the time are recorded in all their complexity and universality of reference. No other work has had a comparable influence on the theory and practice of Jewish life, shaping spiritual content and serving as a guide to conduct through the world. Although the Talmud’s main objective is to provide legal interpretation, it is, simultaneously, a work of art that goes beyond legislation and its practical application. It is a blend of subtle logic and unswerving pragmatism, of history and science, anecdote and humor. It also occasionally contains short poems - prayers designed for synagogue use, private devotions, elegies, and random snatches of popular verse. It is this kind of material which provides the texts for the accompanying set of choral pieces. While there is an unmistakable reference in these pieces to earlier periods of musical expression for the purpose of underlining the ancient character of the texts, there has been no attempt at evoking an authentic impression of the setting in which the poems were written. The music is solely a response to an ancient and still very much living tradition through the heart and mind of a modern reader. If this music conjures up the past, that is all well and good. And if it touches upon more contemporary issues, that's fine too. And even if it does neither of these, and just happens to please the listener a little, then it will surely have achieved the composer’s purpose. --Sid Robinovitch Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech haolam Hamapil chavlei sheina Al einai Ut’numah al afapai Vihi ratson milfanecha Adonai Elohai Velohei Avotai Shetashkiveini l’shalom V’ta-amideini l’shalom V’al y’vahaluni rayonai Vachalomot ra-im V’harhorim ra-im U-t’hi mitati shleima l’fanecha V’ha-er einai Pen ishan hamavet Ki atah hame-ir L’ishon bat-ayin Baruch ata Adonai Hame-ir la-olam kulo Bichyodo. Exalted art Thou, O my Lord Who art God and King of the World, Who weighs down my eyes With gentle bonds of sleep, And refreshes my tired spirit with slumber. May ever it be Thy will, Lord my God, and God of all my fathers, To lay me down in untroubled peace And raise me up in peace once more. Do not let dark imaginings disturb me With thoughts of sin and despair. O heal my fear and my suffering – May my bed be enclosed in Thy care. Give light unto my eyes Lest the sleep of death overtake me. For ‘tis Thou who breathes life Into man’s slumbering soul. Exalted art Thou, O Lord, Who illuminates all the world With His Glory.
Ave Maria
Franz Biebl
This breathtaking 20th-century work is a setting of part of the Latin liturgical Angelus prayer, which contains the Ave Maria (Hail Mary) as a refrain. It was originally written for men's chorus and published in 1964, but the composer wrote arrangements for mixed choir and treble choir. The piece first became famous when a U.S. group, the Cornell University Glee Club, included it in their Christmas programs, and more famous when the Chanticleer ensemble made it part of their regular repertoire. Angelus Domini Nuntiavit Marie, Et concepit de Spiritu sancto. Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum, Benedicta tu in mulieribus Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus. Sancta Maria, mater Dei, Ora pronobis peccatoribus. Sancta Maria, ora pronobis Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, and she conceived by the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
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