First published in 1917, this beautiful Italian Christmas carol, Gesu Bambino, needs no translation into English: just lean back and listen. We’ve got Luciano Pavarotti singing, with backup by the Vienna Boys Choir. Let the music draw you into Christmas.
P.S.–I’m all caught up on your Christmas music requests, everybody, so now I’d like to take some more. Don’t leave it all up to me and the same little handful of readers–everybody pitch in.
This is the Idaho Falls Symphony Orchestra, plus the local high school choir, really, really going to town on Ding Dong Merrily on High–you gotta love it!
I’m still a bit off-color after freezing my marrow during my bike ride yesterday, but this is music that can get you going.
And remember–the villains of this age don’t like it.
Turn up the volume on this one–Ding Dong Merrily on High, sung by the Kings College Choir at Cambridge, Class of 1983.
I wonder if I can find this with a harpsichord. I love this carol played on a harpsichord!
Hey, everybody–I’m all caught up on your hymn requests, so I need some more. Let’s proclaim Christmas!
I love Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and this wonderful 1984 movie version of it, starring George C. Scott as Scrooge. And I really love this theme music, composed by Nick Bicat, And God Bless Us, Every One.
I guess there are those who think A Christmas Carol is old hat. Are you kidding me? This is a movie about repentance and redemption–and who in this fallen world doesn’t need repentance and redemption? Who is more to be pitied than someone who has no hope of redemption?
But that’s exactly what Our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to do for us.
Requested by Ina, The Little Drummer Boy featuring a duet by Bring Crosby and David Bowie–two giants from two very different eras of popular music. Bing died just before this could be shown on television, and David passed away recently. Now they sing on Christ’s Kingdom.
Hark the Herald Angels Sing–from St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, performed by choir and full orchestra: well, our King deserves the royal treatment. Requested by Erlene.
P.S.–Erlene, Patty wants to remind you that sometimes it’s easy to turn off your computer’s speakers by accident, or hit the wrong key and mute the video, again by accident; so you might want to check that. Come to think of it, it’s happened to me; and there I sat, puzzled, no sound… and I only had to turn the sound back on.
God told Abraham, “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:18), and by “all,” He does mean “all.”
Hence this African Christmas carol, as a reminded.
Don’t worry, I’ll get around to blogging some “news” sooner or later. It’s just that this news, the birth of Jesus Christ, the incarnation of the Word of God, is a lot more important.
P.S.–In the opening picture, those things hanging from the trees, I think, are birds’ nests. But I forget what kind of bird. Anybody know?
This request came to us from Scotland, from our friend, Ina–Boney M. performing Mary’s Boy Child.
Keep those Christmas hymn requests coming, folks!
Joy to the World–would you believed Isaac Watts published it way back in 1719? It may be old, but it seems to be the most published Christmas hymn in North America today. The melody is usually attributed to G.F. Handel, but that’s not quite certain.
I have chosen this unpretentious performance by I don’t know who… because it sounds joyful!
Okay, now the hymn requests are coming in, and I will get to all of them, I don’t care if I have to post half a dozen hymns a day. It’ll be great for anyone who happens to stumble upon this blog.
This is Ave Maria, sung by Rachael Lampa, requested by our esteemed colleague WeavingWord, who knows the Middle Ages even better than I do.
More to come!