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Gloria A Feast of Carols I Wonder As I Wander Glory to God The Night Before Christmas |
A Symphony of Carols White Christmas Christmas Set of Three Seasonal Sounds |
The "Gloria" section of the Catholic liturgical "ordinary" of the mass is among the most often set by composers for Christmas pieces. The text translates as follows:
Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to men of good will.
We praise You; we bless You; we worship You; we glorify You.
We give thanks to You according to Your great glory:
Lord God, King of heaven, God the Father almighty;
Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son;
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.
You, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
You, who takes away the sins of the world, receive our prayer.
You, who sits at the right hand of the Father, have mercy upon us; for
You alone are holy;
You alone are the Lord;
You alone are the most high: Jesus Christ.
With the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
This particular setting of the "Gloria" text makes use of multi-metric rhythmic patterns reminiscent of the dance music found in much of Eastern Europe. It contains moments of bittersweet lyricism and much fanfarish brass writing as well; these qualities have made it a frequent inclusion on Holiday programs, both in church and in the concert hall.
The work was especially composed for performances of the New York Pops Orchestra (Skitch Henderson, conducting) and the Texas Christian University Choirs (Christmas, 1990) and is dedicated to the memory of the composer's grandmother, Camille Shield Wallace (1898-1999).
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Mr. Bass has been asked to write a number of large, choral-orchestral Christmas carol medleys; this piece was the first of these to come into existence. There are six carols included in the arrangement, set out as follows:
Gloucester Wassail Carol
Il Est Neé, le Divin Enfant
Veni Emmanuel
The Holly and the Ivy
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
The orchestral opening introduces all 6 themes and there follow extended arrangements of the various carols, connecting one to the other in rhapsodic fashion.
The setting of Gloucester Wassail Carol, referring as it does to a traditional English Christmas toddy, has an ebullient and almost raucous "flavor," evocative of door-to-door caroling and secular Christmas cheer. This setting expands on these qualities and makes potent use of the melody's lilting waltz gait.
Il Est Neé, le Divine Enfant (He Is Born, the Divine Christ Child), despite its similarity to an old Normandy hunting tune is probably a rustic-style 18th-century composition. Its first appearance in print was in Dom Leeway's Noels Ancients of 1875, and this version is cast in the manner of a medieval dance, utilizing much contrapuntal interplay between the choral voices and creative use of percussion.
Veni Emmanuel (O Come, O Come, Emmanuel) hearkens back to choral plainsong; this well-known carol has roots in the chant tradition of western Europe, possibly before the 15th century. The English version appeared in the early 20th century, translated by John M. Neal and this liquid yet passionate setting respects these various origins.
The Holly and the Ivy is among the best-known of English carols. The carol is an interesting melding of pagan and Christian tradition: holly and ivy were symbolic of the male and female polarities in medieval times and this carol explores aspects of the former, in homage to Christ, the Savior. The white flowers represent the purity of Mary, the red berries His blood, the thorns his Crown and the bitter bark the agony of His crucifixion.
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen first appeared in 1770 in an English carol collection called the "Roxburg Ballads," and its energetic melody and cheer-giving lyrics (in spite of its being set in a minor rather than a major mode) are still a common staple to Christmas-carol singing worldwide.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas is, in all probability, a waits carol. In Old England, choruses of municipal singers (called "waits") were hired to enliven such festivals as Christmas and, in return, received coins or various holiday comestibles. The carol serves as the finale for this collection, beginning with a fugato treatment in the strings and ending in augmentation, amid fanfares and flourishes.
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This traditional Appalachian folk song was collected in North Carolina in July, 1933 by John Jacob Niles and published shortly thereafter in his 1934 Songs of the Hill-Folk. This most plaintive and serene of carols is here cast in a stark, glassy setting for solo mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra. The arrangement retains the simple, questioning quality of the original tune while making effective use of modern orchestral forces for subtle color and text-painting.
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This short choral setting of the famous biblical nativity text comprises a single movement of the composer's Christmas cantata A Savior Is Born. This larger work is a narrative telling of the Christmas story for narrator, chorus and orchestra; Glory to God is the portion of the cantata where the Angels of the Lord appear to the shepherds singing praises to the advent of the infant Jesus. Handel's Messiah contains a most familiar version of this same text, drawn from the Holy scriptures (Mark 2:14), wherein a heavenly multitude sings to the assemblage "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will toward men."
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For many long years, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas has been attributed to one Clement Clarke Moore, who was supposed to have composed the verses sometime in 1822. In the year 2000, a Vassar English professor named Don Foster first presented evidence that Mr. Moore could not have authored the work, stating that the well-known piece was in all probability written by one Major Henry Livingston, Jr. (1748-1828) sometime in 1807 or 1808 and was later misattributed. The famous poem, originally titled "Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas" tells, in a most pictorial fashion, of the appearance of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and his description of the main character and his antics bristles with quaint detail and gentle humor. The poem is here performed to great effect by the legendary Shakespearean actor Sir Derek Jacobi.
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White Christmas was written in 1940 by Irving Berlin for the 1942 movie "Holiday Inn" starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Mr. Berlin had been assigned the task of writing a song about various American holidays but, being Jewish, found writing a Christmas song the most challenging. Ultimately, he drew upon his experiences as a youth in New York City and the references to "treetops glistening" and the yearning, opening phrase "I'm dreaming…." are among the most recognizable and evocative of all Christmas songs. Bing Crosby's vocal rendition remained, for many years, the best-selling recording of all time and the song itself won an Academy Award® in 1942 for "Best Song." According to ASCAP, this selection is still the most recorded Christmas carol of all time, with over 500 versions in scores of languages still in print.
This choral version has been styled in the musical language and ambience of the era from which it was born, in tribute to a timeless melody by a truly universal songwriter.
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This second of the large carol medleys on this recording was arranged for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and is dedicated, with great respect, to the eminent motion picture composer and conductor John Williams. The culture-wide effect of this great film composer's music can hardly be overestimated and it is hoped that this compendium of Christmas music represents a fitting tribute to his style.
As suggested by the title, this structure of this arrangement mimics that of a romantic choral symphony, with four musical "movements" of contrasting mood and content.
After an introduction based of the various musical materials to be encountered later in the work, the first of these symphonic "movements" utilises the carol Chanticleer, an obscure melody listed as being early American in character (though written to an Old English text of some standing) and here developed in the manner of an extended choral declamation. The melody is broken into fragments at one point and, subsequently, rejoined to form a spirited conclusion, which ends in a deceptively gentle manner.
The second section of the work, a scherzo-like passage, is based on two carols from completely divergent cultural wellsprings: Pat-a-Pan (Old French; lyrics and music attributed to Bernard de la Monnoye, c. 1700) and Fum, Fum, Fum (Catalan carol of unknown origin). Both carols are sung first in their original language and, then, English translation; this technique preserves "flavor" of the original material while also allowing the listener the opportunity to hear the underlying ideas sung in English. It is possible that the recurring "fum, fum, fum" in the Catalan carol is reminiscent of the strumming of a guitar, while the rhythmic underpinning of the French carol may be intended to represent the repeated drumming of a strolling minstrel.
The third section of this arrangement draws on two carols from the German Christmas tradition: Stille Nacht and Still, Still, Still.
The traditional story of Stille Nacht (Silent Night) is that the composer, Franz Gruber (1787-1863) and the lyricist, Joseph Mohr (1792-1848) wrote this carol in Oberndorf, Austria on Christmas Eve on being told that the organ was broken and would be unusable for the services that evening. Recent discoveries indicate this story may only be folklore; a manuscript has purportedly been discovered which indicates that Rev. Mohr wrote the words in 1816 and that the composer provided the music some 2 years later, at Mohr's request. In any case, the result of the collaboration was this most popular of Christmas carols, sung worldwide for nearly 200 years. The second carol Still, Still, Still is a traditional Austrian Christmas lullaby, dating from around 1819. This setting takes to heart the spirit of the opening phrase and preserves a stillness and calm throughout.
The final section of this arrangement uses as its genesis the carol Adeste Fideles, here sung first in the original Latin and, later, in English. Although this melody is plainchant-like in character, the words and music were actually written in the 18th Century by John Francis Wade (1711-1786). It has often been labeled "The Portuguese Hymn" because, in 1795, a performance of the piece was heard by the Duke of Leads in the chapel of the Portuguese Embassy in London and was erroneously assumed to be of Portuguese derivation. In any event, the Duke was so impressed by the hymn that he commissioned Thomas Greatorex to prepare a fuller arrangement thereof; this version was subsequently given at a Concert of Ancient Music in London on May 10, 1797. Soon afterward, the carol became very popular throughout Europe and the United States and the English version, O Come, All Ye Faithful, is among the best-loved of all Advent carols.
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There are three popular Holiday songs contained herein: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (words by Ralph Blane, music by Hugh Martin), Lovers On Christmas Eve (Lyrics by Michael Stewart, music by Cy Coleman; from the musical comedy I Love My Wife) and The Christmas Song (music and lyrics by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells).
A little should be said about the last title, also known for its picturesque first line "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…" Apparently, the famous tale of this number having been written on the hottest day of the year by two men trying to cool themselves is a true one. The resulting song has been permanently etched into the fabric of the Holiday season after having been introduced through Nat King Cole's landmark recording, first released in the fall of 1946. Few songs do more to conjure up the secular appeal and pleasure of the Christmas season than this beautiful ballad and, in tandem with the other two Holiday titles, this medley brings feelings of home and hearth close to hand.
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This medley is a rough-and-tumble collection of some of the most boisterous and colorful Christmas music ever penned for popular consumption - with a particular slant toward the taste and sentiments of "children of all ages."
After a brief, all-inclusive introduction, the first song we visit is Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (lyrics by Haven Gillespie, music by Fred Coots), which was originally introduced by Eddie Cantor on his radio program, just before Thanksgiving in 1934. The next to appear in the medley is Here Comes Santa Claus (music and lyrics by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman) which was first released to the public by Mr. Autry in 1946. Following this song is one of the most beloved of carols sung by children: Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer (words and music by Johnny Marks), written in 1939 as part of a children's book published by Montgomery Ward to increase sales traffic during the Holiday shopping season. The next song in the running is from 1950: Frosty, the Snowman (lyrics by Jack Rollins, music by Steve Nelson) which appeared a year after Rudolph and also deals with a magical Christmas character much beloved by children. As a finale ultimo of both this medley as well as this album of Holiday carols and songs, we finish with a tour de force arrangement of Jingle Bells (words and music by James Pierpont) which brings to a spectacular close this short tour of secular, seasonal Christmas tunes.
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copyright © 2003, Kodanja Records, Ltd.