Saturday, November 30, 2024

Folks Tunes and Christmas Hymes Revitalized in "Helgasong"

Folks Tunes and Christmas Hymes Revitalized in "Helgasong"

Opheim, Tillung, Økland, Brunborg and Eilertsen revitalize beautiful and forgotten folk tunes and Christmas hymns on “Helgasong”.

“Helgasong” is a revitalization of religious folk tunes from Voss, Hardanger, Eksingedalen, and Øygarden. These Christmas hymns have been sung in Norway for hundreds of years, presented here in local variants with new arrangements. The older song tradition forms the backdrop—an individual voice singing alone, or harmonized voices in old homes.

Hymn texts that have held significant meaning for many, and therefore still remain today. “In deepest darkness, the sky becomes clear,” begins the second verse of “Now come God’s angels with greetings from the sky,” written by Elias Blix. These Advent and Christmas hymns tell us of the light being reborn each Advent and Christmas, at the Winter Solstice, when it is darkest in the north. Berit Opheim explains:

– The background story is a desire to highlight and share local folk tunes in Christmas hymns as part of Norway’s song tradition. Over the past couple of years, we’ve discovered several folk tunes in older notations, including those transcribed by Olav Sande. Beautiful melodies that are a joy to sing and to bring forward in new arrangements.

Some of these folk tunes haven’t been used in decades, making it an even greater pleasure to bring them out of dormancy. The ensemble includes Irene Tillung (accordion), Mats Eilertsen (double bass), Nils Økland (fiddles), Tore Brunborg (saxophone), and Berit Opheim (vocals). All the arrangements were collaboratively developed by the musicians, and the recording took place in August 2024 at Raundalskyrkja in Voss. Opheim continues:

– The recording process was very positive, with good days and a warm atmosphere in a room with rich acoustics, in the wooden church in Raundalen, Voss. The instrumentation was chosen based on the expression we wanted for the different songs, and to create variety on the album. The arrangements are largely collaborative, with much of the music being improvised.

The concert tour for Helgasong begins on December 15 in Ål Church, followed by performances in Kabuso, Øystese on 16.12, Mariakirken, Bergen on 17.12, Vangskyrkja, Voss on 18.12, and two concerts on 19.12 in Eksingedalen Church and Dale Church.

Berit Opheim emphasizes the central message, concluding:

– Regardless of what one believes, or what one finds in the texts, or likes, many people experience a sense of community and belonging when Christmas hymns are performed, especially when they participate in the singing. Singing often creates a strong sense of togetherness.

We hope to convey the closeness in these hymns, which have been so important to many for centuries. Intimacy, tenderness, grandeur, joy, and light—the hymns

1. No koma Guds englar 4:47
2. Den fagraste rosa er funni 5:20
3. I denne søte juletid 4:43
4. Oppå land 1:30
5. Eg er so glad kvar jolekveld 3:52
6. Fager er jordi 3:52
7. Fryd dig du Kristi brud 3:25
8. Her det ny som på jorderig skjedte 3:42
9. Eit barn er født i Betlehem 5:06Dei to systrena 1:24
10. Fra himlen høyt 3:39

https://grappa.no/en/albums/heilo/helgasong/

Clementine Dawson, Clive Osgood, and Barabara Steadman-Allen Win the Sir David Willcocks Carol Competition

Clementine Dawson, Clive Osgood, and Barabara Steadman-Allen Win the Sir David Willcocks Carol Competition

After receiving one-hundred and eleven (111) entries, the David Willcocks Carol Competition, which is sponsored by The Bach Choir (London), announced the winners.

First, the competition was judged this year by Cheryl Francis-Hoad, Charlotte Harding, Carmen Ho, and The Bach Choir's director David Hill.

17-and-under

   The 17-and-under winner was Clementine Dawson who used the poem by Walter de la Mare "Alone." She's a viola player and plays with several orchestras.

18-and-over joint winners were

   Clive Osgood for this "Hodie Christus Natus Est," for eight-part choir "using music in dance-like seven time." Osgood is "a composer, accompanist, organ and music teacher living" in the Haslemere, Surrey area. Osgood is "Director of Music and Organist at the Parish Church of St Bartholomew’s in Haslemere, and teaches A-Level Music at Reed’s School, Cobham."

   Barabara Steadman-Allen won for her "Good Festival of Christian Cheer," which is also described as having "dance-like characteristics." The announcement says Steadman-Allen has sung in choirs her entire life and is also a trombone player. She is retired, but previously worked as a Anglican Vicar and secondary school music teacher.

   On the competition's shortlist is below. The announcement encourages ensembles to get into touch with these composers to perform these pieces:

"In addition to our three winners, our judges picked out three other carols which made their final shortlist. They’re listed below including the scores. Do get in touch with the composers if you’d be interested in performing these works, as they’d love to hear from you – their email addresses are listed."

Jenni Pinnock – Descends the Snow – see the score here and get in touch with Jenni here

John Smith – Qui Creavit Caelum – see the score here and get in touch with John here

John Whittaker – The Journey – see the score here and get in touch with John here.

Source: https://thebachchoir.org.uk/carol-composer-competition/

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Friday, November 29, 2024

Alex Robson wins the inaugural Cambridge University Schola Cantorum Carol Competition

Alex Robson wins the inaugural Cambridge University Schola Cantorum Carol Competition

Schola Cantorum at Cambridge University arose from the disbandment of the St. John's Singers, which occurred earlier this year.(1).

On their Facebook page, they describe themselves as the Phoenix of The St. John's Singers, and they took off running organizing a carol competition, creating a composer-in-residence position, and gaining patronage from John Rutter.

Alex Robson won the inaugural Cambridge University Schola Cantorum Carol Competition with his version of "There is No Rose." Robson is an undergraduate student at St John's College, Cambridge. and the college's senior organ scholar.

The competition had been open to all current staff and students of Cambridge University and Anglia Ruskin University. It was judged by by Cambridge Schola's Director, Graham Walker and Composer-in-Residence, Tim Watts.

Robson's carol will be performed by Schola Cantorum at their carol services on Monday 2nd December at Great St Mary's, The University Church, Cambridge and Wednesday 11th December at St Mary-le-Bow in London.

Notes:

1. See Vall, Wilf, "Successor launched to axed St John’s Voices choir," Varsity, https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/28271. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Thursday, November 28, 2024

UCI Chamber Singers Tackle Rutter, Gjeilo, McDowall and More on "Winter Night" off of Signum

UCI Chamber Singers Tackle Rutter, Gjeilo, and More on "Winter Night" off of Signum

Editor's Note: The description below is that of the label.

The UCI Chamber Singers, under the direction of Irene Messoloras, proudly present Winter Night, a heartwarming holiday compilation that beautifully weaves together timeless seasonal favourites and innovative new arrangements. Featuring composers such as Sir John Rutter (Wexford Carol), Cecilia McDowall (Now May We Singen), and Ola Gjeilo (The First Nowell), Winter Night Winter offers radiant and reflective holiday music that captures the spirit of the season.

1 Gabriel’s Message (arr. Jim Clements)
2 Wexford Carol (arr. John Rutter)
3 Now May We Singen (C. McDowall)
4 The First Nowell (arr. Ola Gjeilo)
5 We Toast the Days

Release date: November 29, 2024

Winter Night [Digital Only] - Signum Records

Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Goes Festive in New Album: "A Lullaby Carol"

The resounding refrains of The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford reverberate throughout A Lullaby Carol: Christmas from Christ Church, a rich tapestry of traditional and contemporary works celebrating the choir’s musical heritage, particularly from the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Highlights include the melodically and rhythmically rich “Make we joy now in this fest” and “All this time” by Sir William Walton, one of Christ Church’s most famous alumni, and Simon Preston’s timeless “There is no rose”. There are also two settings by former Organists of Christ Church: Stephen Darlington’s arrangement of “Silent Night”, and his successor Steven Grahl’s setting of “O nata lux”.

WILLIAM WALTON (1902–1983)
1. Make we joy now in this fest 3.48

ELIZABETH POSTON (1905–1987)
2. Jesus Christ the Apple Tree 3.13

SIMON PRESTON (1938–2022)
3. There is no rose 3.06

GILES SWAYNE (b. 1946)
4. Magnificat 4.10

PIERS CONNOR KENNEDY (b. 1991)
5. A Spotless Rose 4.06

WILLIAM WALTON
6. All this time 1.43

JUDITH WEIR (b. 1954); arr. David Maw (b. 1967)
7. Drop down, ye heavens, from above 1.55

TRADITIONAL; arr. David Maw (b. 1967)
8. I Saw Three Ships 2.50
9. Away in a Manger 3.29

GEORGE BAKER (b. 1951)
10. Toccata-Gigue on the Sussex Carol 5.02

DAVID MAW (b. 1967)
11. Lullay, lullay, litel child 4.32

PETER WARLOCK (1894–1930)
12. Benedicamus Domino 1.31

PIERS CONNOR KENNEDY
13. little tree 2.10
words: e e cummings (1894–1962)
14. Epiphany 2.10
words: Henry Vaughan (1621–1695)

FRANZ XAVIER GRUBER (1787–1863); arr. Stephen Darlington (b. 1952)
words: Josef Mohr (1792–1848), transl. John F. Young (1820–1885)
15. Silent night! Holy night! 3.12

STEVEN GRAHL (b. 1979)
16. O nata lux 2.18

JUDITH WEIR
17. Illuminare, Jerusalem 2.23

FRANCIS POTT (b. 1957)
18. Improvisation on Adeste, fideles 6.19

SPIRITUAL; arr. Robert L. Morris (b. 1941)
19. Glory to the newborn King 2.35

PETER WARLOCK; words: Bruce Blunt (1899–1957)
20. Bethlehem Down 4.36

CHERYL FRANCES-HOAD (b. 1980)
21. Good Day, Sir Christemas! 2.12

Avie Records

https://www.avie-records.com/releases/a-lullaby-carol-christmas-at-christ-church/

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Phillip Matty wins the Clare College Carols Composition Competition

Phillip Matty wins the Clare College Carols Composition Competition

Phillip Matty has won the Clare College Carol Composition Competition 2024 with his setting of "A baby sleeps," a new poem written by Master of Clare Loretta Minghella OBE.

The adjudicators, William Vann, Director of Music at London’s Royal Hospital, Chelsea, and Graham Ross, Director of Music and Fellow at Clare, "unanimously agreed that the score had a clear compositional voice, was carefully crafted, and was idiomatically written for voices."

Phillip is studying for an MPhil in Composition at Clare College, Cambridge, and also a bass in the Chapel Choir.

Phillip’s "A Baby Sleeps" will be premièred by The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge at the Clare College Advent Carol Services on Thursday 28 November and Sunday 1 December, and LiveStreamed on the Choir’s YouTube channel.

Facebook Page of the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge

Choir of King's College London Presents Edward Nesbit's "Nativity" on Delphian

Choir of King's College London Presents Edward Nesbit's "Nativity" on Delphian

Editor's note: Description below is that of the label.

The Choir of King’s College London follow up on their first recording of Edward Nesbit’s sacred choral music, named a Gramophone Editor’s Choice in 2022, with Nativity, a programme of Christmas music written by the composer over the last ten years: a joyful celebration that places Nesbit at the heart of a thriving British choral scene.

At the heart – but slightly to one side too. In a crowded field, Nesbit’s voice is distinctive. Expect much more fast-paced music than is the norm, an abundance of musical references to the classical canon, and frequent touches of humour. With their young, zestful performances, Nesbit’s music benefits from his close collaboration with the choir and its director Joseph Fort.

https://www.delphianrecords.com/products/edward-nesbit-nativity

GLOBAL RELEASE DATE: 29 NOVEMBER 2024

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

"Rejoice and Sing" 2023 Concordia Christmas Concert Released

"Rejoice and Sing" 2023 Concordia Christmas Concert Released

The CD recording of the 2023 Christmas Concert "Rejoice and Sing!" is now available at www.ConcordiaRecordings.com! You can also get some Christmas shopping done early by picking up the 2024 collectable mug for "Our Eyes, At Last, Shall See Him" and this year's Christmas Concert collector's box for the avid Concordia Christmas Concert patrons in your life.

The 2023 Concordia Christmas Concert

Experience the Emmy Award-winning Concordia Christmas Concerts! "Star of Bethlehem, Lead Us to Peace," the 2023 Concordia Christmas Concert, features nearly 300 student musicians performing works by J.S. Bach, Edward Elgar, Elaine Hagenberg, Dan Forrest, René Clausen, Paul J. Christiansen, and more.

Rejoice and Sing - J.S. Bach
Nimrod (from Enigma Variations, Op. 36) - Edward Elgar
Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning - trad. African American Spiritual
Wake, Awake for Night is Flying
Rejoice, Rejoice Believers - arr. Jared Campbell
Carol to the King - arr. Mack Wilberg
There is No Rose - Stephen Caracciolo
Blessed Be! - Melanie DeMore
A Spotless Rose - Herbert Howells
Eit Barn er født i Bethlehem (A Child is Born in Bethlehem) - arr. Ørjan Matre
In the Bleak Midwinter - Harold Darke
See Dat Babe - arr. Stacey Gibbs
Ding Dong, Merrily on High - arr. Katherine Davis
Silent Night - arr. René Clausen
Wexford Carol - arr. Elaine Hagenberg
Hark, the Herald Angels Sing - arr. Dan Forrest
Carol of Joy - arr. Richard Zgodava
Jubilate Deo - Gyöngyösi Levente
Rejoice and Sing - John Rutter
Joy to the World - arr. Carmen Geiger-Schutz
Rejoice and Sing - Karen Marrolli
Compline - arr. René Clausen

https://www.concordiarecordings.com/product/rejoice-and-sing-/93?cs=true&cst=custom

Monday, November 25, 2024

The Heatwave Christmas Songs

Robert Wells, Mel Torme, Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne

The Heatwave Christmas Songs

by R. Rojas

From Schubert’s Winterreise, to Vivaldi’s “Winter” concerto from The Four Seasons, the winter, the cold, the shivering feeling of frigidness, can inspire a song to be written, a classical piece to be composed.

When one hears especially "Der Leiermann" ("The Hurdy-Gurdy Man"), one can just feel the cold even if one is not fluent in German that the song is sung in, the piercing cool nips our skin.

However, can one feel the cold in the heat?

I was listening to an episode of a Christmas podcast a few months ago, and one of the hosts was banging his head trying to remember the other Christmas song written during a heatwave. I think the podcast hosts were focusing on “The Christmas Song,” but I could be wrong. I’m sure the hosts could kind of hear me yelling at my radio the answer to their question. Well, not a radio exactly in these days of music from phones, streaming music, and wireless speakers, but you know what I mean.

The magic of the “Heatwave Songs” is that they were written in the same month, the same year, the same city, and by two different pairs of Jewish songwriters

“The Christmas Song” and “Let it Snow” were both written during a “heatwave” in July 1945.

“The Christmas Song”

The "Christmas Song" was written by Mel Torme and Robert ("Bob") Wells during a heat wave.(1)

I looked up the highest temperature for Los Angeles in 1945 and it was 97 °F (36 °C for those of you across the pond), which seems a rather tame to us living with global warming. That seems like a cool day in Phoenix, Arizona or in Indio, California in July.

Then again, the air conditioning, if you had it in those days, was very primitive.

James Torme, son of Mel Torme, would tell the story of his father writing “The Christmas Song” during a heatwave in July 1945. From a 2020 National Public Radio story on the song:

According to James, it was on a hot, oppressive summer day in 1945 that his father, Mel, went over the house of one of his writing partners, Bob Wells. 'Wells was nowhere to be seen,' James says, 'But there was a spiral pad at the piano. There were four lines scribbled down on it in pencil.' Those four lines were: 'Chestnuts roasting on an open fire / Jack Frost nipping at your nose / Yuletide carols being sung by a choir / And folks dressed up like Eskimos.' When Bob Wells eventually appeared, he told Mel that he had been trying to do everything to cool down on that hot day. Wells said, 'I thought that maybe if I could just write down a few lines of wintry verse, I could physiologically get an edge over this heat.' Forty-five minutes later, the lyrics of what would be "The Christmas Song" were finished.'

Nat King Cole performing "The Christmas Song"

Wook Kim, in the article “Music Yule Laugh, Yule Cry:10 Things You Didn’t Know About Beloved Holiday Songs” placed the song writing in 1944. Again, this may be more accurate as temperatures reached 101 °F (38° C) that summer. The peak was in September 1944. That year, the temperature did not go over 100 °F (37 °C) that entire summer until September.

The summer and the temperature, 1944 or 1945, may be apples and oranges, however, the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Vol. 3 (2nd ed.) has Torme being discharged from the U.S. Army in 1946. NNDB has Torme’s time in the service from 1944-45.(2)

I could not confirm that Torme lived in Los Angeles in one of those years, but I do know he was based out of L.A. for most of his post-War career. In Torme’s autobiography, It Wasn't All Velvet: An Autobiography, he states that the song was written in California. However, have not found specifically if it was in Hollywood. I am guessing that the important fact that we are missing is where Robert Wells lived at the time. Wells died in Los Angeles County in 1998 and was buried in Westwood.

Regardless of not knowing where in the Los Angeles area Wells lived, Nat King Cole would make and release the premiere recording of "The Christmas Song" in 1946.

Let it Snow

That same summer (1945), in July, “Let It Snow” was written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne. Again, it was in response to the same heatwave. Unlike “The Christmas Song,” “Let it Snow” would be released the same year of its writing, in November 1945. It was first recorded by Vaughn Monroe.(3)

Vaugn Monroe first recording "Let It Snow" in 1945

Both Cahn, Torme, Styne, and Wells came from colder climates. Torme grew up in the Chicago area, Cahn in New York City. Styne born in London, England to parents from Ukraine, then part of Russia (yes, it cold there). His family moved to Chicago when Styne was young (it's cold there too). Wells grew up in Washington state.

Apparently, great Christmas songs can be written in all climates. If “A Christmas Song” was indeed written in 1945 -- as “Let It Snow” was, and in the same town, by Jewish songwriters feeling the heat -- what a coincidence. (3)

___________

Notes:

1. On a definition of a heatwave:

"Consequently, a heat wave was defined as a period of at least 48 h during which neither the overnight low nor the daytime high Hi falls below the NWS heat stress thresholds (80° and 105°F, respectively), except at stations for which more than 1% of both the annual high and low Hi observations exceed these thresholds, in which case the 1% values are used as the heat wave thresholds."

Robinson, Peter J (2001). "On the Definition of a Heat Wave". Journal of Applied Meteorology. 40 (4): 762–775. Bibcode:2001JApMe..40..762R. doi:10.1175/1520-0450(2001)040<0762:OTDOAH>2.0.CO;2.

However, note this is from a 2001 journal article abstract. What qualified as a heat wave in 1944 or 45 is superfluous that the songwriters in these two songs thought they were in a heat wave and said their songs were written during that heat wave.

Make sure to read our blog post on "Th Christmas Song" and other such "Ambient Christmas Songs": Is there room at the inn for the Ambient Christmas Song?

2. https://www.nndb.com/people/025/000091749/. Accessed November 23, 2024.

3. A recommended album of all the Christmas hits by Jewish song writers is Jake Ehrenreich's A Treasury of Jewish Christmas Songs (2017). A jazz album, it features the Roger Kellaway Trio. On reviewer Grady Harp states, "A Jewish child of Holocaust Survivors who incongruously grew up loving Christmas music, Jake first explored this theme in his hit Broadway show A Jew Grows in Brooklyn, where the New York Times raved “…a beautiful medley of Christmas Songs written by Jewish composers." Also listen to the album on YouTube.

On the album, the songs acclaimed to be written by Jewish song writers include "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, "The Christmas Waltz" (Cahn), "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Winter Wonderland," "Christmas Time is Here," "White Christmas," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "Silver Bells," "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," and the two mention in this blog post.

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Tyler Johnson Wins the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir's 15th Annual Holiday Carol Commission Competition

Tyler Johnson Wins the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir's 15th Annual Holiday Carol Commission Competition

the Indianpolisy Symponic Choir announced that Indiana native, Tyler Johnson won thier 15th Annual Holiday Carol Commission Competition for his new piece “The Incarnation.”

It will be premiered and performed live at the choir's Festival of Carols performances December 20 through the 23, 2024

The choir states on their Facebook page:

"The ISC’s Commission Competition is an important part of our commitment to the future of choral music, and many of our previous winners have now been published by EC Schirmer, Shawnee Press, Beckenhorst Press, and more!"

"This year’s winner, Tyler Johnson, grew up in a musical family in the town of Richmond, Indiana, and he began his music journey at a young age with guitar lessons and later developed a love for classical music during high school. He soon began taking piano lessons and then went on to study music theory and composition at Indiana University East. After school, he spent time volunteering and moved to several different cities across the United States before finally landing in Nashville, Tennessee. In Nashville, he became an apprentice to a piano technician where he learned to tune and repair pianos."
"He now resides in Richmond, Indiana with his wife and two-year-old son, where he has started his own piano service business and composes in his spare time."

Saturday, November 23, 2024

Christmas Songs and Carols of the Multitude of Voyces Volumes

Christmas Song and Carols of the Multitude of Voyces Volumes

by R. Rojas

Updated Nov. 26, 2024

Multitude of Voyces are three volumes of sacred music by women published in 2019 and 2020. The first volume was dedicated to SATB anthems, the second to Upper Voices anthems from S to SSSSAA, and volume three to Mixed Voices (mainly SATB) for Advent Through Candlemas. A fourth volume is planned to be dedicated to hymns.

But Multitude of Voices (VoV) is not just publications, it is a project/charity. It is described as:

Women have always composed sacred music, but their output has often been omitted from established anthologies. In consequence, women are hugely underrepresented in this genre.
Our Anthology series addresses this injustice in a bold way, presenting 63 women composers spanning 800 years of music, across three printed volumes, with many historical works published for the first time, and several works composed specially for our volumes by both emerging and established composers.

The organization's website is at: https://www.multitudeofvoyces.co.uk/

Not only are the volumes published to promote the sacred works of women composer, but MoV also has a good YouTube (@multitudeofvoyces6516) and SoundCloud presence with performances of each entry in their volumes.

In Volumes 1 (2019) and 2 (2020):

Among the Christmas works in the volumes are:

Raphaella Aleotti's "Angelus ad pastores ait" (The angel [of the Lord] said to the shepherds):

"Angelus ad pastores ait"+

"Gebt in der Christnacht (Prayer on Christmas Eve)" by Fanny Hensel

"Gebt in der Christnacht"

"Weihnachtslied (Carol)" by Louise Reichardt (editorially reconstructed by Olivia Sparkhall):

I sing of a maiden SATB (divisi) by Alison Willis:

Alison Willis "I sing of a maiden"

"I sing of a maiden S"SS/A by Amy Bebbington:

Amy Bebbington "I sing of a maiden"

"Ave Maria": SAA Rebecca Clarke

Rebecca Clarke "Ave Maria"

"Hodie Christus natus est" SSA by Angelina Figus

Angelina Figus "Hodie Christus natus est"

Caroline Lesemann-Elliot "Regina Caeli" SS & continuo - See performance.

------------

Multitude of Voices Volume 3 Sacred Music by Women Composer (2020) is the volume that really has the seasonal works as it is title "Advent to Candlemas"

They include:

"Lo! The Star" by Judith Bingham

"A tender shoot" by Kerensa Briggs

A tender shoot by Kerensa Briggs

"Ivy Chief of Trees It is" by Sarah Cattley

"The Shepherd" by Avril Coleridge-Taylor (lyrics by William Blake)

"The Shepherd" by Avril Coleridge

"Silent Night" by Libby Croad

"Silent Night"

"Coventry Carol" by Emily Hazrati

"Noel: Verbum caro cactum est" by Tasmin Jones

"While Mary Slept" by Helena Paish

"While Mary Slept"

"Est ist ein' Ros'" by Maria Theresia Paradise

"Est ist ein' Ros'"

"Gaudebat et Ridebat!" By Katherine Parton

"Gaudebat et Ridebat"

"I'n Bethlehem above" by Yshani Parin panayagam

"In Bethlehem above"+

"The Christmas Bird" by Sheena Phillips

"The Lamb" by Elizabeth Poston

"Rhyfed, rhyfedd / Wonder, Wonder" by Rhian Samuel

"Gabriel’s Message" by Olivia Sparkhill

"Nunc dimittis" by Amy Summers

"Bethlehem’s Star / Betlehem’s stjärna" by Alice Tegnér, arr. Sarah McDonald

"There is no rose" by Alison Willis

Elizabeth Poston

MoV is the official representative of the musical and literary estate of Elizabeth Poston and the owner of her available copyright. This is good news as much of her music has been unavailable. We are focusing a post on this soon.

For Christmas fans, this is "good tiding of great joy" as Poston was one of the predominant scholars and collectors of Christmas carols, writing three volumes dedicated to Christmas carols. This year (2024), MOV released a digital and print booklet of some of Poston's carols called "A Christmas Selection," which includes, free of charge, a copy of Poston's "Jesus the Apple Tree" as an encouragement to ensembles to do away with unauthorized and illegal copies of the carol.

In this way, ensembles can help fund more of Poston's works being published. Purchase it now: "Christmas Selection" . MoV also published Poston's 'Salve Iesus, little lad!'.

Dame Elizabeth Maconchy

MoV has also been newly licensed by Cambridge University Press to publish and distribute printed leaflets of Elizabeth Maconchy's 'Nowell nowell nowell' (also to be found in our anthology Vol 3). It can be purchased at this link.

"Nowell, Nowell, Nowell"

MoV is working with Cambridge University Press to reintroduce Dame Maconchy's "Candlemas Eve," which is based on the poem by Robert Herrick (SS or TT into 4-part round).(Note 1)

Sarah McDonald

MoV has released printed octavos of Sarah MacDonald's arrangement of Alice Tegnér's well-known Swedish carol "Bethlehem's Star/Betlehems stjärna" which MoV commissioned specially for it Anthology Volume 3. It can be purchased here. (Note 2)

Overall, MoV is at the front lines of promoting women composers and reintroducing "lost' works by woman composers. Here at Christmas Carols and Sacred Musics, we scour the new carol books and recordings and even though, in our count, women are writing and publishing more new carols than men, carol collections and recordings continue to lack women's works.

+ Most of the Youtube videos we embedded are from Multitude of Voyces YouTube channel, but where we could not find a video, we tried to find another video of a performance, but these may not actually be a performance of the music as published by MoV. Also, there may be some videos that do not allow embedding, but one can simply click on the link given and you will be taken to YouTube. Our intent is to give you a sample hopefully spurring you to purchase the volumes and sheet music for your ensemble or private use.

Notes:

1. Make sure to see our post on the Christmas music of Dame Maconchy.

2. Two self-promotions from us at Christmas Carols Blog: Make sure to see our post "The Christmas Music of Sarah MacDonald," which we know needs some updating but gives you a good dose of MacDonald's Christmas and seasonal arrangements up to 2021. Last, see our post

"Encore Publications issues 'Carols of Our Times' with Carols by Women & Compiled and Edited by Sarah MacDonald & Timothy Rogers."

Yule Comes to Us By Trio Mediæval

Yule Comes to Us By Trio Mediæval

The celebration of YULE in Northern Europe harks back to a transition from ancient Pagan Germanic culture to the more formal spirituality of the newer Christian rite.

Christmas, as we mostly now call it, gave us hymns, processions and chants, and in between, silence in church. Yule meant a vibrant pre-Christian secularity, with feasting and dancing, the noise of instruments and decorating the house with holly, ivy and mistletoe as a tribute to the gods of earth and air.

Much of the music on this album dates from an earlier time when in a throwback to Yule churches were decorated with Christmas greenery, and at home there would be carols sung round a burning Yule log, the two traditions side by side. But the songs on this album are contemporary performances, a matrix where acappella voices meet improvising instruments in a synthesis of secular and sacred.

Recording sessions Photo Gallery

Hailed as a "fascinating journey with music of timeless beauty", Trio Mediæval's acclaimed first disc "Words of the Angel" in 2001 launched the group into the elite circles of early music ensembles and introduced them to a broad international audience.

Formed in 1997, the Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble consists of founder members Linn Andrea Fuglseth and Anna Maria Friman, and Jorunn Lovise Husan, who joined the group in 2018.

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Friday, November 22, 2024

Uranienborg Vokalensemble Releases Fred over Joden

Editor's Note: Description below is that of the ensemble or label.

Releases November 22, 2024.

Advent and Christmas are for many people a time for light and hope and warmth. Yet the world around us is cold and turbulent. Wars are being fought. People are fleeing from their homes. Children are dying. Thousands of people lack food and medicine. Our prayers are for peace. We sing "Beautiful is our Earth! Glorious is God’s heaven!" as a protest song for peace and justice, the world being unjust.

During Advent many of us are fond of the familiar and much-loved Christmas carols as we remember them from our childhood, and as they have been sung for generations. There are carols in these traditional arrangements on this album, but there are others in completely new arrangements, made specially for Uranienborg Vokalensemble and for this recording.

Christmas can be a festival that intensifies our feelings – what is good seems even better, and what hurts feels even more painful. Perhaps we have lost someone close to us: can we then sing "Oh, Christmas, so cheerful"? We know that there are people who look forward to Christmas but at the same time dread it, and we believe that Kjetil Bjerkestrand's arrangement brings out this element of equivocation and irony. The birth of Jesus – this is the message of Christmas! – a birth that changed the world for ever. May your Christmas be peaceful!