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When a Child Is Born. I'm an atheist but after a lot of heartache loosing sereral babies this song gave me hope and calmed my fears the Christmas before our son was born. It still has the power to make me cry.
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Re: Favourite Christmas Carol
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Not one of the best known, but a great one to begin Advent (4 Sundays before Christmas, which was actually at the end of November this year). This is a decent solo studio recording, but to really hear it at its best you need to hear it done by a full congregation, with the tune as originally written. It’s almost like medieval plainsong, and doesn’t have nearly as many pauses at the ends of the lines. You need to be able to take a deep breath!
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Re: Favourite Christmas Carol
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Not one of the best known, but a great one to begin Advent (4 Sundays before Christmas, which was actually at the end of November this year). This is a decent solo studio recording, but to really hear it at its best you need to hear it done by a full congregation, with the tune as originally written. It’s almost like medieval plainsong, and doesn’t have nearly as many pauses at the ends of the lines. You need to be able to take a deep breath!
it is plainchant of course.
Also, technically not Christmas - there are seven "O Antiphons" (quite why a lot of hymn books only have five verses still escapes me) one for each day before Christmas, so the correct time for this hymn is the week before Christmas. Each of the antiphons became one of the verses of the hymns.
In some places who do choral evensong up until Christmas they flank the Magnificat with the relevant antiphon this week...
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Re: Favourite Christmas Carol
Quote:
Originally Posted by nffc
it is plainchant of course.
Also, technically not Christmas - there are seven "O Antiphons" (quite why a lot of hymn books only have five verses still escapes me) one for each day before Christmas, so the correct time for this hymn is the week before Christmas. Each of the antiphons became one of the verses of the hymns.
In some places who do choral evensong up until Christmas they flank the Magnificat with the relevant antiphon this week...
This is what comes of being a nonconformist … we like to mix and match traditions but only when it suits us
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Re: Favourite Christmas Carol
For a classic carol - Isaac Watts' "Joy To The World" as it encompasses what Christmas is actually about. The King of Kings was born as a baby into the world He created. The third verse is not normally sung today, shame. Does need to be sung a nice tempo, too often choirs slow it down too much, but it doesn't need pop treatment either. Music is by Handle.
1 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
let ev’ry heart prepare him room
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
2 Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3 No more let sins and sorrows grow
nor thorns infest the ground;
he comes to make his blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
4 He rules the world with truth and grace
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.
For something more modern I like Graham Kendrick's "Heaven Invites You to a Party" as party of his "The Gift - Make Way for Christmas". I remember playing this outside on guitar with a small group from our church many moons back on the estate the church building was on, free mince pies and mulled wine, great fun even if cold. (Much nicer in the southern hemisphere where Christmas is in the middle of summer.)
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Re: Favourite Christmas Carol
It makes much better sense used within the whole presentation.
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