Christmas Carols: a Poll

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“O, Holy Night” for me, and as a wise poster above already said, the French version is even more awesome. If there’s one song that sums up that night in Bethlehem for me, it’s this one. 👍
 
Two things:
  1. What about The First Noël?
  2. It should be Stille Nacht. Note the “e” at the end of “stille”
My top three are actually “Stille Nacht,” “Adeste Fideles” and “The First Noël”
Also, my favorite Christmas song (I hesitate to call it secular because it mentions God and Jesus) is “Christmas Shoes”
 
Phemie said:
True, but I’ve heard Pavarotti sing it andI don’t get the same impression. I’d never heard of this guy before.
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Alagna has a beautiful voice. I heard him live about 10 years at the Met where he sang Rudolfo in “La Boheme” and it’s definitely the real thing. Nothing is better than hearing these people live. It’s funny how certain voices just hit you for specific pieces. Pavarotti’s voice is perfection in term of just a pure gift from God. He moves me to tears with certain arias and others, although gorgeous, not as moving.

I really liked how Kiri Te Kanewa sang this. Usually people sing it focusing on all the high notes and will express it with “big-ness” for each verse, which is fine and beautiful, but she is very still and not over-the-top and doesn’t get “big” until the very end. It’s very prayerful to me.

youtube.com/watch?v=MkcBy-fNXUY&feature=related
 
Some outliers…

Longfellow’s amazing carol, "I heard the bells on Christmas day."
Rosetti’s tender "What can I give Him, poor as I am"
Holst’s "In the bleak mid-winter"
The medieval "There is no Rose of such virtue."
The quintessential English "Jesus Christ, the apple tree."
Divinum mysterium/Of the Father’s Love Begotten
Beautiful Spanish "Ala nanita nana"..
 
O, Come All Ye Faithful… not in your poll.

Because I remember the sound of my day’s voice singing the Latin verses. He later stopped going to Mass, but I have the memory of being in church and hearing him sing. 🙂
 
My favorite is, “Joy to the World”

From your list, Angels from the realm of glory.
I also treasure, “Lo how a rose 'er a blooming” & “Twelve Days of Christmas”
 
centurionguard said:
(“Il est né le divin enfant”) is one of my favorites too whether sung or by instrumental.

Translated:

He Is Born, The Holy Child

Refrain
He is born, the holy Child,
Play the oboe and bagpipes merrily!
He is born, the holy Child,
Sing we all of the Savior mild.

Through long ages of the past,
Prophets have foretold His coming;
Through long ages of the past,
Now the time has come at last! Refrain

O how lovely, O how pure
Is this perfect Child of heaven;
O how lovely, O how pure
Gracious gift of God to man! Refrain

Jesus, Lord of all the world,
Coming as a Child among us,
Jesus, Lord of all the world,
Grant to us Thy heavenly peace. Refrain
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We sing a version of that song for the Candlelight Processional at Disney! A narrator reads the Christmas story-actual Bible sections- and a 400 voice choir sings all religious music.It brings that music to people visiting our theme parks who might otherwise not hear anything but secular music and not hear the real Christmas story read at all.
 
I voted for God rest ye merry gentlemen also…of the list that is my favorite.

I also love:
  1. We Three Kings
  2. Carol of the Bells
  3. What child is this
  4. Coventry Carol
  5. It came upon a midnight clear
And I also love classical Christmas music as well, the Messiah…the Nutcracker

The songs I have a hard time listening to is the more modern christmas music, like Jingle bells, walking in a winter wonderland…rocking around the Christmas tree…things like that

And then after that, for New Years…I absolutely hate the song Auld Lang Syne…I dont know why…it just grates on my nerves. lol
 
How could I forget the wonderful
  • Of the Father’s love begotten; and
  • What Child is this?
 
Adeste Fideles (Latin preferably- English version with descant)
Dzisiaj W Bethlejem (Polish)
 
O Holy Night is the most beautiful Christmas carol, especially when sung by great opera singers such as Jussi Bjorling (in Swedish), Pol Plancon, and Enrico Caruso.
 
pnewton said:
My favorite traditional Advent song is People Look East. My favorite new one is My Soul in Stillness Wait.
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People Look East is one of the three hymns that I can (kind of) play on the organ! :yeah_me:
 
So many!

I love O Come All Ye Faithful (English version with the first verse in Latin tagged on).

I love singing Joy to the World but only during the Octave of Christmas; It rubs me the wrong way if I hear it before Christmas (except maybe in choir practice where the Christmas practicing has already started.)

Lo, How a Rose and Coventry Carol are also favorites. (I usually can’t wait for Christmas with Lo, How a Rose but I figure it has so many Advent themes in it that the Advent versus Christmas police will forgive me.) Silent Night, of Course. I love O Holy Night but just like The Star Spangled Banner it is easily bungled if the singers are not competent.
 
Christmas carols are the best!! They bring back so many amazing memories. Christmas definitely is the most wonderful time of the year.

I chose ‘Silent Night’, but my favourite carol of all time is ‘Infant Holy, Infant Lowly’.

tabhairt
 
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