Christmas music fills the air...

Tuesday Tunes @ The Music Memoirs

It's all about Christmas!

What are your favorite traditional "Christmas Carols?"

I have a couple. To me the traditional carols are all about the meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ, and why we celebrate this day to begin with.

Coventry Carol.

Just haunting, I think. I believe this is the oldest song extant in the English language. It is the only existing piece left from "The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors". A mother's lament for her doomed child, after King Herod ordered the death of all male infants in Bethlehem. I simply love the melody.

(Matthew 2:16-18) "Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all the region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled,
because they were no more."

===================================
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child.
By, by, lully, lullay.

O sisters, too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day;
This poor Youngling for whom we sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.

Herod the King, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day;
His men of might, in his own sight,
All children young, to slay.

Then woe is me, poor Child, for Thee,
And ever mourn and say;
For Thy parting, nor say nor sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.

The Feast of Holy Innocents, still observed by many churches today, is on December 28, and commemorates the children killed by King Herod.

Here's Enya singing it. Gorgeous!

In The Bleak Midwinter

Written by Christina Rosetti in 1872. Just perfectly symbolizes the meaning of the day. Beautiful melody. I loved singing this one in choir.


In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Here's The King's College Choir of Cambridge singing it, because it sounds exceptionally beautiful done by a choir.

Silent Night

Much loved, since I was a child. It's just the classic Christmas carol no matter whether a single person or an entire choir sings it, it's still gorgeous.

German in origin (Stille Nacht). The words were written by Josef Maur who was a priest, and the melody is supplied by Franz Gruber.

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

Here's Enya yet again, singing the song in Irish, and a version which I find particularly beautiful.

I also love: "We Three Kings of Orient Are", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", and "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear".


What song best says "Christmas" to you?

I defer to the above, "In The Bleak Midwinter". I will also add "Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful)", "O Holy Night", and "Silent Night" as well.

What is your favorite modern Christmas song?

"Last Christmas" by Wham!.
It's just not Christmas until I hear this one. LOL!

"Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
War is over, if you want it.

"Wonderful Christmas Time" by Paul McCartney.
Simply having a wonderful Christmas time! Oh hush. I sing along loudly with this I don't care.

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid.
Feeeed the wooooorld...

"Merry Christmas, Baby" by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
I love their take on this one, it's just fantastic.

"White Christmas" by Bing Crosby.
Bing's da man at Christmas.

"Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth by Bing Crosby and David Bowie.
Love this. They sound so great together!

"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting)" by Nat "King" Cole.
LOVE this one. LOVE.

Anything by Frank Sinatra (Mistletoe and Holly is a fave) or Perry Como (Home For The Holidays is a fave) works here too.

Are these modern enough? I considered this my "non traditional" favorites.

Do you have a favorite Christmas album? If so what is it?

No, not really. I love Christmas music, and will listen to everything from the Vienna Boy's Choir, to the crooners... Nat, Bing, Perry, Frank... to Donny Osmond's "Christmas at Home", Trans Siberian Orchestra's Christmas CDs, to "A Charlie Brown Christmas" by the Vince Guaraldi Trio and much more during this season. Elvis Presley's Christmas album always brings back childhood Christmases, too, my mother would always play the very copy she got at age 12 for Christmas during my growing up years!

Here's Elvis singing "Blue Christmas".

And to add another side of the coin, the Christmas song I hate the very most? "The Christmas Shoes" by Newsong. It's so dang depressing. I have to turn the sound off when it comes on the radio. OMG the sentiment just hits you like a two by four up side the head!