FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS CAROL # 9 SEE AMID THE WINTER SNOW

SEE AMID THE WINTER SNOW

Words by Edward Caswall and Music by John Goss

 

See amid the winter's snow,
Born for us on earth below,
See the tender Lamb appears,
Promised from eternal years.

 

Hail, thou ever-blessed morn!
Hail, redemption's happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

 

Lo, within a manger lies
He who built the starry skies;
He, who throned in height sublime
Sits amid the cherubim.

 

Hail, thou ever-blessed morn!
Hail, redemption's happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

 

Say, ye holy shepherds, say
What your joyful news today;
Wherefore have ye left your sheep
On the lonely mountain steep?

 

Hail, thou ever-blessed morn!
Hail, redemption's happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

 

“As we watched at dead of night,
Lo, we saw a wondrous light;¹
Angels singing peace on earth
Told us of the Saviour's birth”.

 

Hail, thou ever-blessed morn!
Hail, redemption's happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

 

Sacred infant, all divine,
What a tender love was Thine,
Thus to come from highest bliss
Down to such a world as this.

 

Hail, thou ever-blessed morn!
Hail, redemption's happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

 

Teach, O teach us , Holy Child,
By Thy Face so meek and mild,
Teach us to resemble Thee,
In Thy Sweet humility!

 

Hail, thou ever-blessed morn!
Hail, redemption's happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS CAROL # 7 THE HOLLY AND THE IVY

 

THE HOLLY AND THE IVY

Music and lyrics traditional

 

The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Saviour
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly and the ivy
Now both are full well grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir 

FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS CAROL # 8 ANGELS FROM THE REALMS OF GLORY

 

ANGELS FROM THE REALMS OF GLORY

Words by James Montgomery and Traditional Music

 

Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth:
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King!

Shepherds, in the fields abiding,
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing,
Yonder shines the infant Light;
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King!

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great desire of nations,
Ye have seen His natal star;
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King!

Saints before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear:
Come and worship,
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King!

FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS CAROL # 12 IN DULCI JUBILO

 

IN DULCI JUBILO

Words by Heinrich Suso and Traditional Music

 

In dulci jubilo
Let us our homage show
Our heart's joy reclineth
In praesepio
And like a bright star shineth
Matris in gremio,
Alpha es et O!

 

O Jesu parvule,
My heart is sore for Thee
Hear me, I beseech Thee
O puer optime
My praying let it reach Thee!
O princeps gloriae.
Trahe me post te.

 

O patris caritas!
O Nati lenitas!
Deeply were we stained
Per nostra crimina
But Thou for us hast gained
Coelorum gaudia,
Qualis gloria!

 

Ubi sunt gaudia,
If that they be not there?
There are Angels singing
Nova cantica;
And there the bells are ringing
In Regis curia.
O that we were there!

FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS SONG # 1

 

Despite the general awfulness of the Christmas song there are however always exceptions to the rule, and I have a short list of personal favorites.

Without exception all my choices not only include the song but the best performer of that song and so in no particular order here is my first selection.

 

“White Christmas” written by Irving Berlin and sung by Bing Crosby.

 

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

CAROL SINGING

 

The custom of singing carols at Christmas is of English origin which began in the middle ages.

In the beginning the singing of Christmas carols was known as 'wassailing'.

But this soon changed, and the singers became known as carolers when groups of serenaders called "waits" would travel around from house to house singing ancient carols and spreading the holiday spirit.

The word "carol" means "song of joy."

The reason Christmas carols became so popular was that the angels sang when they appeared to the shepherds at Bethlehem to announce the birth of Jesus Christ's.

The original meaning of a carol is quite different to what we imagine it to be today for a carol was once a secular dance which was performed at any time of the year.

People danced around in a circle holding hands and singing songs.

The dance reminded onlookers of a coronet, so they called it a 'carol'. The name was transferred later on from the dance to the song itself. Carols

By the 16th century carols were sung only at Christmas time and at one time only Bishops and clergy were permitted to sing carols in church.

But carols became too popular amongst the public to be confined to church and were soon sung in the streets.

A true Carol tells the story in song of the birth of Christ and is sung during period leading up to Christmas.

SILENT NIGHT

 

On the morning of Christmas Eve in 1818, an Austrian priest called Joseph Mohr, was told that the church organ was broken and would not be repaired in time for the Christmas Eve service.

He was so saddened at the prospect of Christmas without music that he decided he would try to write a carol that could be sung by the choir and be accompanied by guitar music.

So, Joseph sat down and wrote three stanzas and later that night the people in the little Austrian Church in Oberndorff sang "Stille Nacht" for the first time.

CAROLING IN WALES

 

The Welsh are a very musical nation so Caroling is particularly popular in Wales where it is called eisteddfodde and is amongst other things often accompanied by a harp.

One custom in some rural areas a person is chosen to travel around the town draped in white and carrying a horse's skull on a long pole.

If anyone is given a "bite" by the horse's jaws they must pay a fine.

FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS SONG # 40 JINGLE BELLS

 

Despite the general awfulness of the Christmas song there are however always exceptions to the rule, and I have a short list of personal favorites.

Without exception all my choices not only include the song but the best performer of that song and so in no particular order here is my fortieth selection.

 

“Jingle Bells”
Written by James Pierpont

Performed by Rosemary Clooney

 

Dashing through the snow
Over the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bobtail ring'
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight!

Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

A day or two ago
I thought I'd take a ride
And soon, Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side,
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
He got into a drifted bank
And then we got upsot.

A day or two ago,
The story I must tell
I went out on the snow,
And on my back I fell;
A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh,
He laughed as there I sprawling lie,
But quickly drove away.

Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young,
Take the girls tonight
and sing this sleighing song;
Just get a bobtailed bay
Two forty as his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! You'll take the lead.