Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn

Subject: St. Basils Hymn
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 03:45 PM

The George Winston December album has a tune called St. Basil's hymn. It's supposedly a carol sung by kids in the streets over and over and over and over again. Does anyone know words to it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 03:58 PM

REFRESH. This one is gonna bug me until we find an answer. I went through two Oxford carol books and lots of hymnals. I found St Bede, Austin, Athanasius, Alabaster, Aardvark, and Augustine - but no Basil.
I went under my bed and dug out the Christmas CD's and found Winston's wonderful December album- Winston says his tune "Minstrels" was inspired by St. Basil's Hymn, a traditional Greek children's New Year's carol based upon a rendition by Malcolm Daiglish, from his Flying Fish album, Thunderhead.
It's certainly a haunting tune, but I've never heard it anywhere else. I tried to find a sample of the recording on the CD store sites, but couldn't.
-Joe Offer, frustrated-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: MMario
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 04:14 PM

there are several listings of it on mp3.com - but I can't get there to check them out. Joe - maybe you can? I got them in a google search for "saint Basil's Hymn"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 05:23 PM

Good idea, MMario - try here (click) and here (click again - this one is extraordinary)
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: Mbo
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 06:47 PM

A--I don't know they words, but I can send you a GIF of the tune, which I know very well!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: Mbo
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 06:49 PM

Mario, do you remember that lady who played EXCELLENT hammered dulcimer at the NC Renfaire? She was playing it...I recognized it right off...it sounded beautiful on HD. You can get a similar effect (I know, I'm weird) by playing on guitar and using a nickel as a pick...

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 07:14 PM

Mbo, any chance we can cajole you into making a MIDI of the tune, which makes a smaller and more manipulable file? If not, click on my name below to e-mail me a gif, and I'll transcribe it into a MIDI.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: Mbo
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 07:35 PM

Sure I can get a midi out tonight!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 07:43 PM

Great, Mbo - e-mail it to Alan of Australia (click) so he can post it at Mudcat MIDIs. Thanks a lot.
Hey, anybody got lyrics?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: MMario
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 09:17 PM

Mbo - the lady's name would be Darcy Nair-Bond, she performs as "Kat's Kindling", when she isn't part of the Pyrates Royale, or hosting shanty sings....plus does websites...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: Mbo
Date: 24 Apr 00 - 09:19 PM

Cool! MIDI's finished BTW...who wants it besides Alan for the MIDI page?

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: alison
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 06:09 AM

Send it to Alan for the MIDI page then anyone who wants it can download it from there....

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 08:53 AM

So, G. Winston got it from M. Dalgliesh? I have an email that I used to seek permission from Mal Dal for use of another arrangement of his. I'll send him a message and see if he can enlighten us!
Mbo, thanks for the midi. It's great!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: MMario
Date: 25 Apr 00 - 09:10 PM

still looking for the words

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From:
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 09:08 PM

St Basil's Hymn? Oh, yeah. I found a book of Greek carols with that one in it. The music was in both standard and Byzantine notation, and the lyrics, like the entire rest of the book, were in Greek - that is, in the Greek alphabet, so I am not sure how it would display on Mudcat. Malcolm Dalglish published a choral arrangement of it, which I think has the lyrics also in Greek, but done phonetically in the Roman alphabet so that the singers could sing it. He also had an arrangement for hammered dulcimer, so for about a buck and a half, you get the words, the music, and a hammer dulcimer arrangement. The Greek carol book I looked up has the melody only. I admit I did listen to the hammered dulcimer version as played by my son (Malcolm taught the tune to my son in a private lesson a few years back) and tried to sound fairly close to it, but there are spots I can't do on the three string dulcimer without putting another string on it and tuning that one to a lower G. I don't sing this one and therefore haven't memorized the words, either Greek or English. . . I looked up the book again. It is, approximately in Roman letters, KALLANTA KAI PARADOSI TOU DODEKAIMEROU by KYRIAKOU ZAXARENAKI published in Athens, 1986. Lyrics are on page 45, melody on p 110-111, I think. Sorry I couldn't be of more help on this, but that should steer you in the direction if you decide to check it out. Thanks for linking to the mp3 file. I'm afraid my mountain dulcimer wasn't in the best shape for that one. The action was too low, so the strings sort of snap and buzz a bit. I hope I have gotten better at playing it since then. It was done sitting in the chair in front of my computer, recorded straight into the computer mike last fall.

Subject: Little Potato - Malcolm Dalglish
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 09:16 PM

Thanks, Clayton - Sounds like the person to contact is Malcolm Dalglish. I didn't find him, but I did find a terrific recording of his Little Potato (click).
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 08:28 AM

I got a nice email from Mal Dal's office directing me to his Ooolitic music web page where I ordered me a copy of The Kalanta of the New Year. As soon as I get it, I'll post the words. Can't wait- from the description it seems it'll be great for my women's chorus! Thanks all for your research!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: St. Basils Hymn
From: MMario
Date: 30 Sep 02 - 10:41 AM

Did anyone ever get the lyrics?