 sj |
||
|
||
Not the Usual Christmas Songs
|
|
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: BB Date: 12 Dec 08 - 05:25 PM 'The Bitter Withy' is a wonderful, sort-of religious song, but it's not a Christmas song in any sense. Barbara |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: Tootler Date: 12 Dec 08 - 06:53 PM "Knock at the Knocker, Ring at the Bell" is an excellent Christmas Album by Magpie Lane. A collection of folk carols and seasonal songs and tunes. I was given it for Christmas last year and have just dug it out again. I had forgotten just how good it was. Not on the above album, but I like "Down in Yon Forest" An interesting song with interesting imagery. Not the usual type of carol, but worth singing. |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: Artful Codger Date: 13 Dec 08 - 01:42 AM Barbara: Ahem, I mentioned "The Bitter Withy" because of its joyful irreverence--and Rosie was requesting something different to sing. You'll note I didn't group it with the carols. On the other hand, perhaps irreverence is the last thing needed during the annual Christmas frenzy, as the carols and such forth are mainly pressed into the service of Baal these days. |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: Artful Codger Date: 13 Dec 08 - 02:03 AM The Little Blackenham Carol, posted above, is a variant (in text, at least) of #140 in The New Oxford Book of Carols: "Let all that are to mirth inclined." The authors include 16 verses, with a setting by [Davies] Gilbert, 1822, noting that it's "found in several forms: see 'Good People All' (162)". If someone has both Artisan's recording and the NOBC, perhaps they could compare and comment. |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: Artful Codger Date: 13 Dec 08 - 03:29 AM Arkie: Check the ingeb.org website, a great German-based folk song site. If you search there for "zu Bethlehem geboren", you'll find several carols that include that phrase, including one by that title (by Friedrich von Spee), for which both a text and a MIDI are supplied. Other possibilities there, also with MIDIs: Als ich bei meinen Schafen wacht = While shepherds watched their flocks* Es kommt ein Schiff geladen (A laden ship comes) Heilige Nacht** (Holy Night): "Geboren ward zu Bethlehem..." [No MIDI] * The "While shepherds" setting with this chorus: How great their joy! (Great their joy!) Joy, joy, joy! (Joy, joy, joy!) Glory to God in Heaven on high! Glory to God in Heaven on high! The melody in these MIDIS is carried by an interior voice; it is not readily apparent. Also at ingeb.org is "Die Blümelein, sie schlafen", a song with a setting by Johannes Brahms based on "Zu Bethlehem geboren". The tune here is more distinct. Please let us know if any of these is what you remember. |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: BB Date: 13 Dec 08 - 09:09 AM Artful Codger, nor did I call it a carol - 'The Bitter Withy' is not a **Christmas** song, which is the point I was trying to make. (I wish I knew how some people manage to do italics or bold on here!) Babrara |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: RangerSteve Date: 13 Dec 08 - 03:08 PM try www.cyberhymnal.org. On the opening page, scroll down to "Topic", then click on "Christmas". There's quite a bit of less than common tunes. My favorite is "Beautiful Star". |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: Artful Codger Date: 13 Dec 08 - 09:09 PM Barbara: Italics, bolding and blickies are achieved by embedding simple HTML sequences: Italics: <i>text</i> Bolding: <b>text</b> Blicky: <a href="URL">text</a> Example: <a href="http://www.mudcat.org/">Mudcat Cafe</a> is rendered as: Mudcat Cafe Note that if your messages contain ampersands, greater-thans or less-thans, you need to replace them with the equivalent character escape sequences: & = & < = < > = > See the Mudcat help threads for more info, or any web tutorial on writing HTML. |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: BB Date: 14 Dec 08 - 08:11 AM Thanks, Codger, I'll have a go sometime, when I've got time to take it all in. But I've printed off your instructions, so I will do it! Barbara |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: Sleepy Rosie Date: 14 Dec 08 - 01:14 PM Thanks for refreshing this thread folks. Now there's the small matter of learning some songs... |
|
Subject: Lyr Add: SWEET WAS THE SONG THE VIRGIN SANG From: Artful Codger Date: 15 Dec 08 - 12:50 PM There are some nice, less-heard carols on the CD Carols Around the World by the Quink Vocal Ensemble. For example: Canción de Navidad, by the 20th c. Argentinian composer Carlos Guastavino. Thankfully, this isn't one of the gratuitously dissonant modern carols. I Saw a Maiden. It's in the New Oxford Book of Carols, 109:II, setting by Edgar Pettman (1866-1943). It's a variant of "Lullay, my liking" (Myn Lyking); adapted from a 15th c. text. Komt verwondert u hier, menschen and Herders, Hij is geboren, by Julius Röntgen (1855-1932). Maybe these songs are over-sung by the Dutch, but I'd not heard them before. Lute-Book Lullaby: SWEET WAS THE SONG THE VIRGIN SANG (Lute-Book Lullaby) anon., from the William Ballet Lute Book (17th c.) Sweet was the song the Virgin sang, When she to Bethlem Juda came And was delivered of a son, That blessèd Jesus hath to name: Lulla, lulla, lulla lullaby, Lulla, lulla, lulla lullaby. "Sweet babe," sang she, "my son, And eke a saviour born, Who hast vouchsafed from on high To visit us that were forlorn." Lulla, lulla, lullaby, [RVW: Lalula, lalula, lalulaby] "Sweet babe," sang she, And rocked him sweetly on her knee. Ralph Vaughan Williams set this text in his cantata Hodie (1953-54, XI. Lullaby). Benjamin Britten also did an arrangement. Barbara: As for "The Bitter Withy" not being a Christmas song, you'll find it at the Hymns and Carols of Christmas site, where their sources are Edith Rickert, Ancient English Christmas Carols: 1400-1700 (London: Chatto & Windus, 1914, reprint of the edition of 1910) and Cecil J. Sharp, English Folk-Carols (London: Novello & Co., Ltd., 1911). Sharp also references a version quoted by Mr. Frank Sidgwick (More Ancient Carols, Stratford-on-Avon, 1906). Perhaps the "bright holiday" on which it occurred was Hannukah. ;-} |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: Richard Mellish Date: 15 Dec 08 - 06:56 PM The Village Carols publications have already been mentioned. One of my favourites, which has been sung at some of the festivals, but not this year, is an older translation of Adeste Fideles (Believers Assemble) with a more interesting tune (Portugal) than the well known one. So this is at the same time a close relation of the very well known O Come All Ye Faithful and yet very different. And of course there are the umpteen alternative tunes for While Shepherds Watched. Richard |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: Artful Codger Date: 16 Dec 08 - 02:27 AM "Portugal" sounds like a typical shape-note hymn name, so I searched for both and found... In the shape-note book The Hesperian Harp, "Portugese Hymn" (pp. 378-9) is a 3-part variant of "Adeste, fideles": "Hither, ye faithful, haste with songs of triumph..." (It also has a song named "Portugal", metrically similar to "Adeste, fideles", but the text bears no resemblance to the various translations of that carol.) The New Oxford Book of Carols, gives much information on the history of "Adeste, fideles" (though its origin remains obscure), including this quotation of Vincent Novello, from Congregational and Chorister's Psalm and Hymn Book, 1843: "This piece obtained the name of 'The Portuguese Hymn' from the accidental circumstance of the Duke of Leeds... having heard the hymn first performed at the Portuguese Chapel, and who, supposing it to be peculiar to the service in Portugal, introduced the melody at the Ancient Concerts, giving it the title of the 'Portuguese Hymn', by which appelation this very favourite and popular tune has ever since been distinguished;..." |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: Artful Codger Date: 16 Dec 08 - 06:22 AM Another traditional American one: The Shepherd's Star, collected in shape-note arrangements in Southern Harmony (William Walker, 1835) and Christian Harmony (Walker, 1866). It appears on the CD Carols from the Old & New Worlds by Theatre of Voices, Paul Hillier, director. The first verse ("Hail the blest morn, see the great Mediator") is also used for another shape-note carol, "Star in the East" ("Brightest and best of the sons of the morning"). See thread 42294 for words and links for both. In his post of 15 Dec 04, Burke supplied a transcription of the words to "The Shepherd's Star", though sadly they are not labelled as such. |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: GUEST,henryp Date: 16 Dec 08 - 07:00 AM John Tams has written The Devonshire Carol for Warhorse now on at the National Theatre. It's on the soundtrack CD sung, I presume, by Tim van Eyken. It's also on the new CD of another story by Michael Morpurgo, On Angel Wings, sung by Coope Boyes and Simpson. Chapters are separated by carols, mostly from South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. Christmas performance at St Paul's cathedral is now sold out. |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: GUEST,The black belt caterpillar wrestler Date: 16 Dec 08 - 07:25 AM We were out caroling (with instruments) for charity in the streets of Lancaster last night and we were asked to play........the Star Wars theme! Merry Christmas to all Jedi Knights. |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: old git Date: 16 Dec 08 - 12:51 PM not sure if anyone's mentioned it but on John Conolly's new CD "Grumpy old Men of Old England" ,the track "I am Christmas" is really worth a listen. Words by Bill Meek , tune by John Conolly. To hear it go to www.myspace.com/johnconolly ,scroll down and click on the window with the Christmassy figure in it.. enjoy geoff t |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: wysiwyg Date: 16 Dec 08 - 01:07 PM Sorry I missed this thread till now. Our band's annual Christmas, Advent, and Epiphany choices are quite unusual but you would have to hear them to appreciate them and I have no recordings. It's a little late now to catch them for this year, but PM if you want to explore further. ~S~ |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: Artful Codger Date: 16 Dec 08 - 01:57 PM The Star Wars Carol: is that the one that starts "Yoda was an old man, and a very old man was he"? |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: Monique Date: 21 Nov 11 - 07:06 AM I didn't know where to post the link to the Scribd doc Noël, chantons Noël by Paul Arma, Les Éditions Ouvrières, Paris 1942, this thread should be ok for that. There are 151 French Christmas carols from the 13th to the 18th C. Most lyrics are in standard French even though some were primarily written in another language (the 3 Sabòli's Provençal carols in the collection have been translated). Whatever is not in standard Fr. is in its original dialect of French (=Oïl dialect) |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: GUEST,Don Wise Date: 21 Nov 11 - 03:13 PM "King Herod and the Cock".......... or any good Wassail song. On the other hand, if you can find the texts,music,records: "The Workhouse Boy", sung long ago by The Halliard "Family Christmas", Roaring Jelly, on the LP 'Roaring Jelly's Golden Grates'( no,I've spelt it correctly!) |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 22 Nov 11 - 10:16 AM Merci beaucoup for the link to the noels, Monique. We love noels! |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: BTNG Date: 22 Nov 11 - 10:24 AM Richrd and Linda Thompson: We Sing Hallelujah |
|
Subject: Lyr Add: THE INNUMERABLE CHRIST (Hugh MacDiarmid) From: Joe_F Date: 22 Nov 11 - 03:44 PM THE INNUMERABLE CHRIST by Hugh MacDiarmid Wha kens on whatna Bethlehems Earth twinkles like a star the nicht, An' whatna shepherds lift their heids In its unearthly licht? 'Yont a' the stars oor een can see An' farther than their lichts can fly, I' mony an unco warl' the nicht The fatefu' bairnies cry. I' mony an unco warl' the nicht The lift gaes black as pitch at noon, An' sideways on their chests the heids O' endless Christs roll doon. An' when the earth's as cauld's the mune An' a' its folk are lang syne deid, On coontless stars the Babe maun cry An' the Crucified maun bleed.[1] |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: BTNG Date: 22 Nov 11 - 03:58 PM Christmas Must Be Tonight written by Robbie Robertson and recorded by The Band and The Albion Band The Albion Dance Band - On Christmas Night All Christians Sing. (Trad. Arr.) |
|
Subject: ADD: There Are Much Worse Things to Believe In From: Joe Offer Date: 27 Jan 12 - 02:32 AM Somebody asked for this on the Facebook Mudcat page. Probably better that they be posted here. THERE ARE MUCH WORSE THINGS TO BELIEVE IN (Stephen Colbert) There are cynics; there are skeptics. There are legions of dispassionate dyspeptics. Who regard this time of year as a maudlin insincere Cheesy crass commercial travesty of all that we hold dear When they think that, well, I can hear it. But I pity them their lack of Christmas spirit. For in a world like ours, take it from Stephen: There are much worse things to believe in. A redeemer, and a Savior, An obese man giving toys for good behaviour. The faith in what might be, and the hope that we might see The answer to all sorrow in a box beneath the tree. Find them foolish, sentimental, Well, you're clearly none too bright, So we'll be gentle. Don't even try to start vaguely conceivin' Of all the much worse things to believe in. Believe in the judgment, believe in Jihad, Believe in a thousand variations on a dark and spiteful God You got your money, you got your power, You got your science, and the planet's going to end within the hour. You got your dreams that don't come true. You got the ones that do Then you got your nothin'; Some folks believe in nothin'. But if you believe in nothin', Then what's to keep the nothin' from comin' for you? Merry Christmas -- Happy New Year! Now if you'll forgive me, there's a lot to do here. There are stockings still unhung, Colored lights I haven't strung, And a one-man four-part Christmas carol waiting to be sung. Call me silly, call me sappy, Call me many things, the first of which is happy You doubt, but you're sad. I don't, and I'm glad. I guess we're even. At least that's what I believe in. And there are much worse things. http://www.lyricsmania.com/there_are_much_worse_things_to_believe_in_lyrics_stephen_colbert.html Here's a recording of the song by somebody else: (click) |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: Joe_F Date: 27 Jan 12 - 08:20 PM Hot Buttered Rum |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: keberoxu Date: 27 Apr 18 - 06:42 PM Timing is off, yes, I noticed that. It's just that I wanted my info straight, and it has taken me a long time to locate the perpetrators, I mean, the authors credited with this song, lyrics and music both. The song is Dear Santa, Have You Had the Measles. Copyright belongs to three individuals: Frank Kells, Sal Messina [sometime pseudonym: Al Arland], and Al Vann. Shawnee Press / ASCAP. circa 1958. This thanks to the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries, Published Music: Third Series, Volume 10, Part 5A, number 1. Washington, D. C.: Copyright Office, Library of Congress, 1957. someone else is more than welcome to fetch the lyrics, if you insist on knowing them... |
|
Subject: RE: Not the Usual Christmas Songs From: GUEST,Meryle (GUEST) Date: 04 Sep 21 - 04:38 AM I'm trying to find the missing lines to a Christmas song my Mom used to sing - probably was sung in the 19-teens & 20s. I don't know the title, can't remember the first line. ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Jimmy popped the corn Elouise who liked to tease Brought a tooting horn ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- And on that happy Christmas morn, We had lots of fun. The tune (roughly, numerically): 1 3 3 5 5 8 8 8 6 4 6 5 1 3 3 5 5 8 8 7 5 6 4 5 8. 5. 5. 3. 5. 2. 2. 8 5 5 3 5 2 2 3 1 3 3 5 5 8 8 5 3 4 2 1 |
| Share Thread: |