The Boston Camerata Releases Christmas in the Middle Ages Album
Label Description:
Drawing on a wide variety of sources, mingling liturgical Latin with French, English, Italian and Iberian vernaculars, these magnificent songs, hymns and processionals show the multitude of ways in which the birth of Christ was celebrated in medieval times. The trio of female singers is accompanied by harp, fiddle, bells and wind instruments: together they touchingly evoke all the tenderness, hope and joy of medieval Christmas songs.
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A good essay by Jim McDormott on Christmas carols. He says:
"I learned of a horrifying tradition around Christmas carols. Some of you
out there are apparently living under the terrible burden of believing
that Christmas carols are only meant to be listened to until Christmas
Day."
Disclaimer: Regarding, the heading photo used above, we do not know who is the owner of this photo, and infringement is not intended, it is used for educational purposes only. We will gladly oblige any take down under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Photos are used under the allowance made for "fair use" under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 for the purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. We will obliged any takedown request of any photo on this blog in compliance with the DMCA
While we are still working on a post on Elizabeth Poston, we
decided to focus on a 21st Century composer and choir director, and
that is Sarah MacDonald (b. 1968).
MacDonald is a Canadian–born organist, conductor, and composer
living in the UK. She currently is at Selwyn College, Cambridge as Fellow and
Director of Music and is also the director of the girl choristers at Ely
Cathedral.
MacDonald has been at Selwyn College more than 20 years,
starting in 1999 and is the first woman to be in that post. In 2018, she received
the award of Associate of the Royal School of Church Music (ARSCM). A more in-depth biography can be found on
Wikipedia and at her website.
Her most recent recordings with Chapel Choir of Selwyn
College, Cambridge was 2020’s Choral Music
by Paul Ayres off Regent Records and the Christmas album Christmas Music by Ben Parry (2019)
which also included theEly Cathedral
Girls' Choir.
Previous Christmas recordings include:
An Ely Christmas
with the Girl Choristers and Layclerks of Ely Cathedral Choir (Regent 2018)
Christmas from Selwyn
( Refent 2017) Choral music for Advent and Christmas by Alan
Bullard (Regent 2015)
Sing reign of fair
maid: Music for Christmas and the New Year (Ely Cathedral Girls’ Choir)(Regent
2008)
The Moon of Wintertime: Carols from around the world (Chapel
Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge)( URM Audio 2005)
MacDonald has an arraignment for upper voices and organ of "The Cherry Tree Carol" (2015) (Encore Publications):
Arise, shine! (SATB with divisi) Encore Publications. Selection can be seen in this Selwyn College Chapel: Readings and carols for the First Sunday of Advent:
MacDonald does have a Christmas song called "Bethlehem Star" (SATB with organ), but I could not find a video for it. At her website, McDonald provides a link to Sacred Music by Women Composers, Vol. 3 that has this song in it. MacDonald also has a version of "Do You Hear What I Hear (SSAATTBB) forthcoming in 2022. She has a 2019 score of "Guadete" which can be found on Encore Publications. She has much more scared music that can be found at her website, and she also has a setting of Magnificat:
Jan. 31, 2021 Correction: Our apologies to the composer. We corrected the spelling of the composer's last name.
Disclaimer: Regarding, the heading photo used above, we do not know who is the owner of this photo, and infringement is not intended, it is used for educational purposes only. We will gladly oblige any take down under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Photos are used under the allowance made for "fair use" under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 for the purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. We will obliged any takedown request of any photo on this blog in compliance with the DMCA
