Category: Christmas

I really like this piece, but the only recordings I can find of it are just a wee tad too “bright”. The scores I have seen call for no more than 70bpm (2/2 time sig), and most take the piece at ~80bpm–or even faster. *meh* Personally, I’d prefer it a very wee bit slower than the tempo marking on the score. Just a very wee tad. *sigh* Oh, well, it’s still a nice piece.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOIhzqutZuQ

The song sung in the video below can be found here: Weihnachslieder: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. The video includes an additional work, “Über die Geburt Jesu,” by Andreas Gryphius (11 October 1616 – 16 July 1664). The song sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in the video (accompanied by Jörg Demus) is, “Es senkt sich hehr und leise die heil’ge Nacht herab” by Karl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke (1824-1910).

Über die Geburt Jesu
Andreas Gryphius

Nacht, mehr denn lichte Nacht! Nacht, lichter als der Tag,
Nacht, heller als die Sonn’, in der das Licht geboren,
Das Gott, der Licht; in Licht wohnhaftig, ihm erkoren:
O Nacht, die alle Nächt’ und Tage trotzen mag!
O freudenreiche Nacht, in welcher Ach und Klag
Und Finsternis, und was sich auf die Welt verschworen,
Und Furcht und Höllenangst und Schrecken war verloren!
Der Himmel bricht, doch fällt nunmehr kein Donnerschlag.
Der Zeit und Nächte schuf, ist diese Nacht ankommen
Und hat das Recht der Zeit und Fleisch an sich genommen
Und unser Fleisch und Zeit der Ewigkeit vermacht.
Der Jammer trübe Nacht, die schwarze Nacht der Sünden,
Des Grabes Dunkelheit muß durch die Nacht verschwinden.
Nacht, lichter als der Tag! Nacht, mehr denn lichte Nacht!

Weihnachtslied
Karl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke

Es senkt sich hehr und leise die heil’ge Nacht herab,
die Nacht, die uns vor Zeiten der Welten Heiland gab;
und Orgelton und Glockenklang ertönen weit und breit
und bringen uns die Kunde: “Christ wurde uns geboren heut!”

Und Scharen sel’ger Kinder umstehn den Weihnachtsbaum,
der jetzt im Glanz der Kerzen verklärt manch schlichten Raum;
und in der Glocken Töne mischt Kindersang sich ein:
“Gott in der Höh’ sei Ehre und Frieden soll auf Erden sein!”

White Christmas as sung by Il Volo

Try here for the album (and no, I don’t get paid anything if you buy from this link)

Buon Natale: The Christmas Album

Not my fav ever version, But Josh Groban’s performance of this piece as offered on his album, “Noel,” is quite good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRUMjvzt7Ok&list=PLD2EC27CD2C2CC84B

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Continue reading “Panis Angelicus”

Working, in a somewhat desultory fashion, on my 2013 Xmas Playlist and ran across “Michael Bublé Christmas”.

Completely unbiased *cough* comment (FAIR USE!) added to the album cover art. “Michael Bublé Christmas” is kinda like a thinner-voiced Bing/Sinatra-lite Xmas album, complete with mispronounced vowels, but without the heart one would expect from Bing or Old Blue Eyes. Standard selection of pop Xmas tunes, including the execrable and much to be disdained, “Santa Baby,” and inexplicably sprinkled with a couple of genuine Xmas songs (Silent Night, Ave Maria).

(Confession: no, I did not buy the album. What, ME buy a Michael Bublé album of pseudo-Xmas music? Get outa here! I “listened” to it on YouTube, for review. Michael Bublé performances on my Xmas playlist is simply not on. Thank you, no. If it HAD been any good, I would have bought it as I did with the album below. . . )

OTOH, Josh Groban’s 2007 “Noel,” aside from a few little bobbles (“’round yon virgin –PAUSE, BREATHE– mother and child” in “Silent Night” *sigh* and a few inexplicable pure vowel and diphthong choices) is a real delight and well worth the price on Amazon ($6 mp3/$10 CD). Oh, heck, even the patented Groban melodic variations are pretty good. *heh* A few unobjectionable pop Xmas songs, but mostly real Xmas songs. Eh, besides, he has such a much, much better instrument and music sensibility to work with than Bublé. Did I say, “much”? No, more than that.

Added to this year’s playlist.

If someone can identify the vocalist in the recording below, I’d be happy to credit her. I can’t even recall where I got this recording (I’ve collected probably too many recordings over the years and some, like this one, have been through too many stages of archiving for all the data to just be there). I don’t want to step on the artist’s toes or anything, so I’d be very glad to purchase another copy.

[audio:dance.mp3]

I danced in the morning when the world had begun
I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun
I came down from heaven and I danced on earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

I danced for the scribes and the Pharisees
They wouldn’t dance, they wouldn’t follow me
I danced for the fishermen James and John
They came with me so the dance went on

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

I danced on the Sabbath [“Sunday” as sung] and I cured the lame
The holy people said it was a shame
They ripped, they stripped, they hung me high
Left me there on the cross to die

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

I danced on a Friday when the world turned black
It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back
They buried my body, thought I’d gone
But I am the dance, and the dance goes on

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

They cut me down and I leapt up high [diff. from sung]
I am the life that will never, never die
I’ll live in you if you’ll live in me
I am the Lord of the dance, said he

Dance, dance, wherever you may be
I am the lord of the dance, said he
And I lead you all, wherever you may be
And I lead you all in the dance, said he

…if you can.

🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPwDJM5ON0A

For some reason, John Gorka’s rendition is new to me. *shrugs* I guess I can’t have heard it all, eh? (This year’s Xmas music playlist is right at 40 hours long, now. Maybe I’ll stop… after cataloging and adding another 8 hours or so? Maybe. And maybe 40 hours is a good place to stop… for this year.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P64tdKrQiY4