National Children's Chorus (USA) Releases Illumine: The Holiday Album

 

National Children's Chorus (USA) Releases Illumine: The Holiday Album

    

Illumine - National Children's Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra

The GRAMMY® Award-winning National Children’s Chorus, under the leadership of Artistic Director Luke McEndarfer and Associate Artistic Director Dr. Pamela Blackstone, has quickly become one of the world’s leading children’s choirs. Among the most exciting and fastest-growing music institutions for youth in the United States, the chorus provides its unparalleled training to more than 1,500 students, based in the chapter cities of Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Austin, Dallas, Boston and Chicago. The NCC’s groundbreaking Season 2022/23, entitled Resounding Voices, focused on the social impact of the chorus’ artistry, featuring an array of diverse repertoire that exemplifies the organization’s long-term commitment to new music, world culture, and meaningful collaborations. 

Music from the season was then taken on tour to the United Kingdom and recorded by the chorus at Abbey Road Studios and AIR Studios in London for this culminating album.

1. Carol of the Bells

2. Himig Pasko

3. Yaldei Hanr

4. Tomorrow Shall be my Dancing Day

5. A La Nanita Nana

6. I Dream a World

7. Beteleemu

8. In Winter

9. I saw three ships

10. Northern Lights

11. Ose Shalomm

12. Diya Jalein

13. Glow

14. It's the Most Wonderful Time of te Year

15. Lully, Lulla, Lullay

16. The World for Christmas

17. Silent Night

The Gesualdo Six Releases "Morning Star" on Hyperion

 

The Gesualdo Six Releases "Morning Star" on Hyperion

Description from ensemble's website.

"Step into an enchanting sequence of festive works for the season of Epiphany. Amidst the cold and frosty nights, composers capture a sense of anticipation at what the new year may bring. This album weaves together beloved seasonal carols spanning across centuries and bringing warmth to the winter’s embrace.

Traditionally in the UK, the days preceding Twelfth Night have an air of post-Christmas lull. It’s a sleepy time, as we look expectantly to the promise of a new year. Days are cold and short, glistening with frost and punctuated by long, dark nights.

But then there is ‘Little Christmas’—Epiphany, which comes from the Greek ‘epiphaneia’, meaning ‘appearance’, and which is one of the three principal and oldest festival days of the Christian Church. The revelation of Jesus Christ to the world, the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus and the wedding at Cana are all celebrated at this time. Following an old tradition, those who forget to take down their Christmas trees on Epiphany eve must leave them untouched until Candlemas: it is this period which forms the musical timeline for much of this album.

There is no shortage of wonderful repertoire to explore at this time of year. Full of hope and joy, much of it alluding to the ‘morning star’, it offers a promise of renewal and rebirth. These works remind us to celebrate the gifts we have received, and to wonder at the mystical alchemy described in the Epiphany story. On this album we weave a tapestry of well-known seasonal carols together with Renaissance gems and highlights from the twenty-first century. We hope that the music contained here reflects the joy we had performing it, as we return to the chapel at Trinity College in Cambridge, where we made our first festive album a few years ago." Owain Park © 2023

The Three Kings  Peter Cornelius 

INTROIT: Ecce advenit dominator  Plainchant

Maria wallt zum Heiligtum  Johannes Eccard

Ecce advenit Dominator Dominus  William Byrd

GRADUAL: Omnes de Saba venient  Plainchant

In Winter’s House  Joanna Marsh

Mirabile mysterium  Jacob Handl

Here is the little door  Herbert Howells

ALLELUIA: Vidimus stellam  Plainchant

Magi veniunt ab oriente  C. non Papa

Morning Star  Arvo Pärt 

There is no rose  Adrian Peacock

OFFERTORY: Reges Tharsis  Plainchant

Tribus miraculis  Lassus

Oh, send out thy light  Owain Park

COMMUNION: Vidimus stellam  Plainchant

In Mary’s Love  Judith Bingham

Illuminare Jerusalem  Manchicourt

Bethlehem of noblest cities  Trad. arr. Park

Hyperion

https://www.thegesualdosix.co.uk/shop/morning-star-2023/

Disclaimer: Regarding the photos and descriptions used above, we do not know whom the owners of these are, and infringement is not intended. Photos and descriptions are used for educational purposes only. We will gladly oblige any take down under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Photos and descriptions 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 oblige any takedown request of any photo on this blog in compliance with the DMCA.

Large Christmas Works: Part 1: The Renaissance - A Working List 1400-1599

Large Christmas Works: Part 1: The Renaissance - A Working List 1400-1599

Compiled by Ray Rojas

Updated Dec. 29, 2023

Editor's Note: This list was originally in one blog post but due to the amount of YouTube videos we embed, the post would take a long time to load on some browsers, so we have divided it into six parts by classical music period. We have kept the same introduction for each post.

Previous post: The Rennaissance

We spend so much time focusing on Christmas carols on this blog and our social media. The carol is the namesake of our blog. However, I bet composers of larger Christmas works are saying, "What about us?"

About the list

So here is another working list as we attempt to chronicle large Christmas works and medleys. I bet there is an annotated bibliography done by some great scholar hidden in some hidden corner of a university library, I wanted to present not just a list but an audio/video of the piece so that it is readily available for the listener. 

Although the three-minute mark is more of a post-recording phenomenon, I have used it as our mark for what makes a larger Christmas work. Some pieces are just above and others way above. There are some that are so famous, we had to include them even if they were under three minutes.

As you know, we feature a lot of winter-themed classical music across our social media and blog, but sadly, we will not include them here because it would be an endless list. So, Sergei Prokofiev's Troika's "Sleigh Ride" or even Leopold Morzart's "Sleight Ride" will not be included. If the winter piece mentions Christmas will be the exception.

About Medleys

I was hesitant to use the various Christmas carol medleys out there, but I think the study of the medley is an important one. In the mariachi world that I was once part of, there are a number of medleys called "popourri" in Spanish. There some really good ones, and some not so good. I think the main marker of a good quality medley is the transition, although  sly modulations are also impressive. While your making the transition, can the arranger give a prelude of the next song while still in the former?

O Magnum mysterium

We also hesitated to include "O Magnum mysterium," but being one of the most famous Christmas texts, we just could not. However, we limited their inclusion only to those composition over three minutes or if they had multiple movements.

Chronology

Those works which I do not have a date for, I have put at the bottom while I research the date. I have use dates of publication or first recording or but a "before" date using the date of the video. For some composers in which we do not know the date of publication of the work, we put the date of death of the composer to help the reader in placing in time.

Obviously, there is a lot of Christmas works out there that has not been recorded or are in audio-only and have not been posted to YouTube. See our list of Lost Christmas Music.

Also, some Christmas works do not have a full video of the entire piece, so I have only posted the first video of the composition hoping you will go to YouTube to see the rest of the videos/movements. For example, John Rutter's Dancing Day, I did not post a video of the entire work, but just the first movement. If later find a video of the work in its entirety, will replace the video we have with the video of the entire work.

Yes, this is a rabbit hole we gone down and this list will probably never be complete.

However, from what I have, it is a good look at the trajectory of Christmas music in the choral and classical world from Bach's Christmas Oratorio to Patrick Hawes' The Nativity and Bob Chilcott's Christmas Oratorio.

2000 Modern to Present

Twentieth Century

Romantic Period

Classical Period

Baroque Period

The Renaissance

1522 - death of composer

Nesciens mater, Jean Mouton

1539

O magnum mysterium, Adrian Willaert

1541

O magnum mysterium, Nicholas Gombert

1545

1553 death of composer

O magnum mysterium, Cristóbal de Morales

1556 death of composer

O magnum mysterium, Jacobus Clemens non Papa

1559

Magi veniunt ab oriente, Clemens non Papa

1560 death of composer    

O magnum mysterium, Nicolas Gombert    

1562 death of composer

O magnum mysterium, Adrian Willaert

1569 - published

Resonet in laudibus, Orlando Lassus

1575

Missa Hodie Christus Natus Est, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

1575

Regis de Tharsis, John Sheppard

1575

Videte miraculum, Thomas Tallis

1582

Missa O magnum mysterium (Missa tertia a5),
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

1586

Pastores loquebantur, Francisco Guerrero

1586

O magnum mysterium, Jacob Handl

 

O magnum mysterium, Andrea Rota

1587

Angelus ad pastores ait a 7, Andrea Gabrieli

1590 - published

Omnes de saba, Orlando Lassus

1599

Angelus ad pastores ait, Hieronymus Praetorius

Next Post: Baroque Period

Calmus Ensemble Lights it Up With New Christmas Album

 

Calmus Ensemble Lights it Up With New Christmas Album

 Christmas Lights, Calmus Ensemble 

 “Christmas Lights” comprises many well-known and in some cases centuries-old verses such as “Es kommt ein Schiff geladen”, “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” or “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen”, with the latter evolving into a new sound world within a collage of different compositions. 

However, these well-known melodies and lyrics coincide with new musical discoveries and prove how versatile Christmas music and Calmus can be: contemplative, jubilant, witty, pompous, melancholic or plain. 

We take you with us into the musical tradition of other countries, breaking not only regional but also stylistic boundaries. From Renaissance chorales, such as Johann Walter's “Joseph, lieber Joseph mein”, to the complex jazz arrangement by Jamie Cullum and the titular pop classic “Christmas Lights” by Coldplay.  

1. Jacobus Gallus (1550–1591): Resonet in laudibus (+)
2. Johann Walter (1496–1570): Joseph, lieber Joseph mein
3. Michael Praetorius (1571–1621): Es ist ein Ros entsprungen
4. Alban Berg (1885–1935): Es ist ein Reis entsprungen
5. Carl Gottlob Reißiger (1798–1859): Das Reis aus der Wurzel Jesse
6. Hugo Distler (1908–1942): Ich brach drei dürre Reiselein
7. Michael Praetorius (1571–1621): Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (3. Strophe)
8. Dobrinka Tabakova (*1980): Good-will to men and peace on earth (+)
9. Eduard Karl Nößler (1863–1943): Tröstet mein Volk
10. Thomas Morley (1557–1602), arr. John Leavitt (*1956): Madrigal for Christmas
11. Johannes Eccard (1553–1611): Übers Gebirg Maria geht
12. Francis Poulenc (1899–1962): O magnum mysteriu
13. Günter Raphael (1903–1960): Maria durch ein Dornwald ging
14. Franz Wüllner (1832–1902): Kindelein zart, von guter Art
15. Reiko Füting (*1970): Entre le bœuf
16. Ludwig Böhme (*1979): Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier
17. John Tavener (1944–2013): Rocking
18. Hans-Jörg Kalmbach (*1951): Es kommt ein Schiff geladen
19. Kō Matsushita (*1962): Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
20. Max Reger (1873–1916): Unser lieben Frauen Traum
21. Gustav Nordqvist (1886–1949): Jul, jul, strålande jul
22. Philip Lawson (*1957): Ding dong! merrily on high
23. Jamie Cullum (*1979), arr. Konrad Zeisberg (*1999): The Jolly Fat Man
24. Coldplay, arr. Konrad Zeisberg (*1999): Christmas Lights  

https://calmus.de/en/music/discography/christmas-lights-2023/

Disclaimer: Regarding the photos and descriptions used above, we do not know whom the owners of these are, and infringement is not intended. Photos and descriptions are used for educational purposes only. We will gladly oblige any take down under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Photos and descriptions 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 oblige any takedown request of any photo on this blog in compliance with the DMCA.

Star of Bethlehem Lead Us to Peace: 2022 Concordia Christmas Concert Released

 

Star of Bethlehem Lead us to Peace, 2022 Concordia Christmas Concert

Experience the Emmy Award-winning Concordia Christmas Concerts! "Star of Bethlehem, Lead Us to Peace," the 2022 Concordia Christmas Concert, features nearly 300 student musicians performing works by J. Robert Hanson, Stephen Paulus, Rosephanye Powell, John Rutter, René Clausen, Paul J. Christiansen, and more.

1. Prelude on How Brightly Shines the Morning Star - J. Robert Hanson
2. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence - Edward Cuthbert Bairstow
3. How Far is it to Bethlehem? - arr. Paul J. Christiansen
4. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - arr. J. Robert Hanson
5. O Holy Night - arr. René Clausen
6. Splendid Jewel - Stephen Paulus
7. Over the Hills Young Mary Hastes - Johannes Eccard, edited Susan Cherwien
8. O Magnum Mysterium - Ivo Antognini
9. What Child is This - arr. Matthew Culloton
10. This Endris Night - Sarah Quartel
11. Shepherd's Pipe Carol
12. Ogo ni fun Oluwa! - Rosephanye Powell
13. All My Heart This Night Rejoices - Z. Randall Stroope
14. Rise Up Shepherd and Follow - arr. Paul Nesheim
15. Silent Night - arr. René Clausen
16. Praise to the Lord - arr. F. Melius Christiansen
17. Dona Nobis Pacem - Ralph Vaughan Williams
18. Songs of Thankfulness and Praise - arr. René Clausen
19. I Will Be a Child of Peace - arr. Elaine Hagenberg, orch. Matthew Culloton
20. Compline - arr. René Clausen

https://www.concordiarecordings.com/product/star-of-bethlehem-lead-us-to-peace/81?cs=true&cst=custom

Disclaimer: Regarding the photos and descriptions used above, we do not know whom the owners of these are, and infringement is not intended. Photos and descriptions are used for educational purposes only. We will gladly oblige any take down under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Photos and descriptions 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 oblige any takedown request of any photo on this blog in compliance with the DMCA.

A Choral Christmas with Voces8 and VOCES8 Foundation and Orchestra Released

 

A Choral Christmas, Voces8 Foundation Choir & Orchestra, Voces8, Barnaby Smith.

Releases November 3, 2023.

Voces8, the internationally acclaimed British vocal ensemble, is pleased to announce the release of their new album, 'A Choral Christmas' out via Decca Classics and showcasing a joyful, cinematic soundscape-packed hamper of choral and orchestral treats.

1. Joy to the World - Arr. Davis

2. Away in a Manger - Arr. Davis

3. The Sleeping Child

4. Come, All Ye Faithful - Arr. Davis

5. I. Magnificat Anima Mea (Version for Full Orchestra)

6. II. Shall I Rejoice (Version for Full Orchestra)

7. III. Et Misericordia (Version for Full Orchestra)

8. IV. Deposuit (Version for Full Orchestra)

9. V. Gloria Patri (Version for Full Orchestra)

10. Come, O Come Emmanuel - Arr. Davis

11. Silent Night - Arr. Davis

12. In Dulci Jubilo - Arr. Pearsall

13. Gabriel's Message - Arr. Clements

14. A Christmas Cracker

15. Sleight Ride

Disclaimer: Regarding the photos and descriptions used above, we do not know whom the owners of these are, and infringement is not intended. Photos and descriptions are used for educational purposes only. We will gladly oblige any take down under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Photos and descriptions 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 oblige any takedown request of any photo on this blog in compliance with the DMCA.

Delphian Releases Recording of Bob Chilcott's Christmas Oratorio with the Choir of Merton College, Oxford

Delphian Releases Recording of Bob Chilcott's Christmas Oratorio with the Choir of Merton College, Oxford

Label's description: 

"Hailed as ‘a palpable success … and utterly new’ at its premiere performance, Bob Chilcott’s Christmas Oratorio brings the magic, wonder and joy of a centuries-old story to modern-day life.

This first recording reassembles the glittering cast of soloists from the premiere: Nick Pritchard’s Evangelist, intimately accompanied by harp and flute, is joined by mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly and bass Neal Davies.

Benjamin Nicholas’s award-winning Choir of Merton College, Oxford enrich the Christmas story with carols that are sure to become instant favourites. The composer is delighted with the recording, describing it as ‘elegant, well paced and poised … The choir is fabulous – confident and sure’."

1. Jesus Christ the Apple Tree

2. - 18. Christmas Oratorio

19. The Pear Tree Carol

20. Welcome, all wonders in one sight!

Disclaimer: Regarding the photos and descriptions used above, we do not know whom the owners of these are, and infringement is not intended. Photos and descriptions are used for educational purposes only. We will gladly oblige any take down under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Photos and descriptions 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 oblige any takedown request of any photo on this blog in compliance with the DMCA.