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15 Nov 01 - 10:37 AM (#593216) Subject: In Praise of Christmas From: Kim C Do any of you perform this song? I have been wanting to learn it for a couple of years now... the only recording of it I have is Loreena McKennit's. Very lovely and mellow, but this seems like a more jolly tune to me, that could be done a little more up-tempo, even like a jig. All ideas and suggestions made in good faith are welcome. Thanks! |
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15 Nov 01 - 10:43 AM (#593221) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: MMario I usually hear it more as a drinking tune! and yes, with a good bounce to it |
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15 Nov 01 - 10:46 AM (#593227) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: Sorcha I don't know it, but the lyrics look conducive to "bounce"! After all, you are trying to drive Winter away! |
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15 Nov 01 - 10:47 AM (#593228) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: Kim C Oh Boy! Now I have got the wheels turning........... |
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15 Nov 01 - 12:16 PM (#593324) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: GUEST,JohnB We tried it a couple of times but it always came out a bit too "dirgy". JohnB |
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15 Nov 01 - 12:39 PM (#593335) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: MMario the midi at All hail to the days has a tempo of 100 - we usually sing it closer to a tempo of 275 |
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15 Nov 01 - 01:20 PM (#593375) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: nutty I have the tune in an old carol book ..... its similar to MMario's MIDI but more upbeat ....... if anyone is interested I can send a scanned image or make a MIDI of it. |
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15 Nov 01 - 01:26 PM (#593380) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: Kim C Yeah MMario I think that MIDI is a hair slow... I have a CD by the York Waits that we just got - they do it fairly up-tempo. |
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16 Nov 01 - 09:11 AM (#593893) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: Tom French Hi Kim C.
In Praise of Christmas is found in the original Oxford Book of Carols #5 on page 16. It is #138 on pg 484 of the New Oxford Book of Carols, and in the Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols, it is #80 on pg 236. It was recorded by Roberts and Barrand on one of their earlier Nowell Sing We Clear recording, but is not on the CD Best of the first three. |
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16 Nov 01 - 09:26 AM (#593902) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: masato sakurai Also called "To Drive the Cold Winter Away". It's on Sneak's Noyse, Christmas Now Is Drawing Near and St. Geroge's Canzonza, To Drive the Cold Winter Away, too. Both are CDs. ~Masato |
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16 Nov 01 - 10:57 AM (#593977) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: Bat Goddess I hate Loreena McKennitt's version! Way too slow. Check out Nowell Sing We Clear's version, even if they only chose to sing a few key verses. Chappell (Popular Music of the Olden Time, 2 volumes) has many, many more verses. I sort of sing it, and we even tried working on it as a performance piece, but sung at tempo it's a lot of work, and the accompaniment is a bear, too. I like it a lot, and we really need to start working on it again and add it to our mid-winter repertoire. Bat Goddess |
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16 Nov 01 - 11:50 AM (#594022) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: Kim C Thanks y'all. Lots of good suggestions. I'm thinking I have Nowell Sing We Clear? Heck, I don't remember. I only get those things out once a year, even though I have the best intentions of learning holiday music all year long... |
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19 Nov 01 - 04:41 AM (#595474) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: GUEST Check out the Yetties version. It's good and bouncy and great fun. |
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30 Dec 03 - 09:12 AM (#1082304) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: CapriUni I heard this carol on Ron Olesko's Traditions last year or the year before, if I recall correctly, and fell in love with it. I don't remember the name of the performers, but it was definitely an upbeat version. When I went to search the DT for the lyrics though, I was not only shocked by the dirge like quality of the melody, but also that the number of notes didn't match up with the syllables in the verse. The only way I could make it fit was thusly: All hail to the days That merit more praise Than all the rest of the year And welcome the nights That double delights As well for the poor as the peer! And welcome the nights That double delights As well for the poor as the peer! But the first "peer" is sung on such a high note that it sounded strident to my ear. Is this doubling more of Loreena McKennitt's "individual" take on the song, or did she only change tempo? Also, what year is this song from? It sounds like it might be as old as 17th C., but that's just my gut reaction, I dunno. |
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30 Dec 03 - 09:29 AM (#1082310) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: GUEST,MMario one web source says it was in the 1719 edition of 'Pills to Purge Melencholy' - which means it COULD be from earlier... |
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30 Dec 03 - 10:44 AM (#1082349) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: CapriUni Thanks, MMario! I've got a one-person campaign going in my LiveJournal to get Christmas/Yule celebrated for the full 12 days, so I'm posting this song there... One can only stand so many partridges! ;-) |
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30 Dec 03 - 10:51 AM (#1082357) Subject: RE: Help: In Praise of Christmas From: GUEST,MMario a nice variant to the fowl song is to do "children Go where I send thee - using the days of Christmas for #'s 2 through 12. Since it can be done as a call and response song it can also increase audience participation... |