Christmas collections

Subject: Christmas collections
From: PixieQueen
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 10:00 AM

I am in the initial stages of planning a project of recording a cd with traditional Christmas folk tunes, using traditional instruments as close to the originial as possible... Appalachian in nature. I know these are mainly based on Irish/Scottish/German/Celtic tunes. Does anyone know of existing collections, suggestions for songs to included and how I might be able to locate them? Thanks!

Subject: RE: Christmas collections
From: raredance
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 10:45 AM

There is a 2 CD set called "American Folk songs for Christmas" with Mike and Peggy Seeger. It follows song for song (over 50 songs), the book by the same title written by Ruth Crawford Seeger. I think the CD is on the Rounder label, but I don't have it here to verify. The book was printed by Doubleday in 1953. Her book "American Folk songs For Children" has been reprinted but I am not aware that the Christmas one was reprinted. You may be able to find it on the used market and a lot of libraries have it. Be sure to check the children's department, some libraries put it there.

Also worth looking for from used book dealers or libraries is "The Season of the Year, Folk songs of Christmas and the New Year," by Irwin Silber (1971 Oak PUblications ISBN - 0-8256-0122-3).

Finally a recent book that contains a lot of songs that are not heard any more is "Early American Christmas Music" by Glenn Wilcox (1995 Mel Bay Publications ISBN 0-7866-0523-5). The songs are from the period 1761-1894 and are primarily collected from the hymn and "harmony" books of the period. For the most part they would not be considered Appalachian folk material although a couple of them have moved from the church "harmonies" to a near folk status ture of many of the more common Christmas carols as well. For example "Brightest and Best" has words written by Regninald Heber and this book includes a version with the tune from the 1854 "Southern Harmony" and a second tune from the 1833 "Christian Lyre". Jean Ritchie in her "Folk songs of the Southern Appalchians" has another "old mountain" tune and Reginald Heber's lyric credit has been lost. The Ruth Crawford Seeger book and CDs above have the Southern Harmony version and call it "Star of the East". But I ramble.

rich r

Subject: RE: Christmas collections
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Feb 00 - 11:15 AM

I love Cynthia Clawson, at Gaither

Two of her CD's have some of what you want:

CD--Prayer And Plainsong
Includes O Worship The King, What Wondrous Love
Just Click here

And:
CD--River Of Memories
Includes Hear The Voice Of My Beloved
This recording is a very pure acoustic vocal performance. The musical style is Appalachian hymn-like.
Just Click here

Also an old Christmas CD from Hogeye Music, 1920 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, [phone] featuring Anne Hills and Shinobu Sato-- may be out of print.

Subject: RE: Christmas collections
From: GUEST,rabbitrunning
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 12:36 PM

When you do find an old collection of folksongs in a library, especially if it's a young librarian, make a point of complimenting them for keeping it available. There's a tremendous pressure to weed circulating collections down and old books are the first things to go. Without patron pressure, we're apt to lose far too much of what really ought to be kept.

Subject: RE: Christmas collections
From: SINSULL
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 03:09 PM

tHERE IS A fOLKWAYS COLLECTION ON eBAY RIGHT NOW. Damn capslock.

Subject: RE: Christmas collections
From: SINSULL
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 03:40 PM

No - it's a collection by Pete Seeger.

Subject: RE: Christmas collections
From: IvanB
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 11:51 PM

PQ, there are numerous Christmas music sites on the internet as well. One of them, which also has links to many others is:

Click here

Of course, you'll have to sort through a lot that won't fit your criteria, but you should be able to find plenty that do.