Origins: Christmas in the Trenches (McCutcheon)

Subject: RE: Christmas in the Trenches
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 04:31 PM

Our own Chordstrangler, Mickey McConnell, has yet another beautiful song on the same subject. I believe it was written by his brother Cormac. He can be PM'd here at Mudcat on how to get a hold of his CD.
Here we have three different and equally excellent songs on the same topic.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Christmas in the Trenches
From: David Ingerson
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 06:54 PM

Thanks, Glade. I will be looking it up soon.

It's gratifying to hear that three songs, a choral stage production, and a book have been produced about these significant events. I hope they stimulate many more such works. Events like these deserve to be widely known. Humans deserve to know about events like these!

David

Subject: RE: Christmas in the Trenches
From: GUEST,PJ Curtis
Date: 19 Nov 02 - 01:17 PM

Seamus (above) mentioned the Cormac Mc Connell song 'A Silent Night (Christmas 1915)'..a stunning. show-stopper of a song...when reduced me to tears when first I heard the author himself sing it for me.
I had the pleasure of producing this song for the Clare singer Jerry Lynch , which was included on his '98 album "Dimming Of The Day' (Dolphin). Check it out.
pjc

Subject: RE: Christmas in the Trenches
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 20 Nov 02 - 01:46 AM

Right, PJ. Jerry did a magnificent version, and like Mickey's, it would tear the heart out of you. Great job on producing that album, by the way.

Seamus

Subject: RE: Christmas in the Trenches
From: fox4zero
Date: 20 Nov 02 - 02:24 AM

About 10-15 years ago,for several years, there was an annual Xmas presentation on PBS call "Little Gifts" which consisted of a half dozen pieces. One piece related a Xmas truce and was attributed to a letter written by a young English officer who was killed in action a few months later.

There were other pieces by Dylan Thomas, Teddy Roosevelt....the entire program was very beautiful.

Larry

Subject: RE: Christmas in the Trenches
From:
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 09:28 AM

This is a message to reach hopefully John Mc Cutcheon singer songwriter,guitarist,violonist and hammer dulcimer musician from the states.My name is Bieke from South africa and I would like to get in touch with John to see if we can organise also with him integration concerts in our country.For the moment we work already together with artists of 12 different countries.
Please come back to us and I'll explain you the concept in the hope we can arrange and work it out for you to tour in SA
all the best
Bieke

Subject: RE: Christmas in the Trenches
From: open mike
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 10:50 AM

if you wish to reach john McCutcheon, going through his web site is the most direct way. IT is not likely that he is a member of or reads this list. I am sure there is an e-mail link on his website at http://www.folkmusic.com/.

Subject: RE: Christmas in the Trenches
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 03:30 AM

Another question about McCutcheon's "Christmas in the Trenches": there's an instrumental tune used as a break a couple of times in the recording - sounds like a march, or some sort of military tune. Anybody know the name of that tune?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches - tune source
From: Brakn
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 04:22 AM

Joe, could it be "The Minstrel Boy" as previously mentioned by Bill Cameron
Date: 19 Dec 98 - 12:00 AM

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches - tune source
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 04:30 AM

Thanks, Mick - yes, it's Minstrel Boy. I scanned this thread, but I must have skipped past the answer. I spent an hour looking for an answer, both here and at McCutcheon's site - and here it was under my nose.
I used the song last week - I'm home-schooling my stepson, and we were covering World War I.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches
From: open mike
Date: 31 Jan 05 - 01:12 PM

i thought it was the "Internationale"
the instrumental that John M. plays

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches
From: Wolfgang
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 10:23 AM

Last Christmas the incident was 90 years old and got a good coverage in German newspapers. Some bits I remember:

The two parties agreed not to shoot at each other after the event and not to mention it 'further up'. But that failed. On the one hand the neighbouring companies noticed something unusual and on the other hand, the German headquarter noticed one war statistics looked wrong:

This part of the front had much less than the expected number of dead and wounded (when I read that I imagined them phoning the British headquarter and inquiring what was wrong on their part...). The telltale sign, however, was the sharp decrease of ammunition used on that front. Within 14 days after the event, both sides replaced the respective companies by new forces and the war statistics were quickly within the expected range again. The German headquarter decided to be quiet about the reasons for the replacement.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 01 Feb 05 - 06:51 PM

Apparently it wasn't an isolated incident but a lot more widespread, also happening where German and French troops were facing each other. (The German author Carl Zuckmayer talks about it in his autobiography.)

At least three books have been written on it:

Stanley Weintraub, Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce (Simon & Schuster, NY 2001)
Michael Juergs, Der kleine Frieden im grossen Krieg (2003)
Malcolm Brown, Christmas Truce (????)

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches
From: Don(Wyziwyg)T
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 03:00 PM

There was a documentary about this, which aired on UKTV HISTORY a couple of weeks ago.

They talked to people who were there, and quoted official sources, private letters home, etc.

The story was slightly different from those detailed above. They said that this took place all along the English/German front, and that there were a large number of football matches, including one with the well documented scoreline Germans 3 British 2 (amazingly not decided on penalties......my comment, not theirs), and one played with a real football brought over by a British Tommy.

They also said that the French refused to have anything to do with it, and remained in their trenches.

I suppose there are as many versions as there are storytellers.

Don T.

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches
From: GUEST,Com Seangan
Date: 02 Feb 05 - 07:55 PM

The most moving eye witness account of the wonderful human event and the Spirit of Christmas is best captured in the autobiography of Fr. Wille Doyle S.J. who was chaplain to the British forces. He was with the Irish soldiers in the front line. He recalls how one 'Paddy' a bit the worse for wear stayed on in no man's land after the cease-fire ended, singing his intoxicated heart out.

All his comrades kept shouting " Get down, Paddy. Get down". Eventually, he got the message and stumbled back into the trench. But the Gerries held their fire until he had got down. Then all the horrors of the war broke loose again. Read it. It is moving.

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Feb 05 - 02:22 AM

There is a most moving version of the song by a Scottish/Irish duo called the "Men of Worth". You can hear a sample of the song on their newest CD called Pattern Dance. Check it out on their website: www.menofworth.com (click "Recordings"). You will not be disappointed! Please listen and tell me what you think.

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches
From: open mike
Date: 04 Dec 05 - 01:43 PM

I have been playing this song recently and am reminded every time
of both the power of war and the power of music. I have a friend
who cries to think of the horrors of war every time she hears this
song. She especially remembers a medic who helped a young girl and
then the girl and her family were killed--blown to bit--the next
day. I was looking for the thread about the last survivor of the
truce passing away lately at a very advanced age..

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches
From: artbrooks
Date: 04 Dec 05 - 02:36 PM

This one, Laurel? survivor.

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Dec 05 - 08:23 AM

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches
From: GUEST,Bliffnode
Date: 03 Dec 20 - 07:20 AM

If anyone is still looking for a copy of "Christmas in the Trenches" I have a 7" single by John McGrath with that and "Too Long Away" on the B side. It is listed on Discogs, you can message me on there if intrested.

Subject: RE: Origins: Christmas in the Trenches
From: EBarnacle
Date: 05 Dec 20 - 03:25 PM

There was a dramatization of this incident last night on our local Public Television station. It was followed by behind the scenes discussion from the actors. I believe the company that did it was from the Midwest.
Recommend it when it comes you way,