No one got around to entering this carol in the carol contest: a medieval Christmas carol, Gaudete–whose lyrics tell us, in Latin, to rejoice, for Jesus Christ is born of Mary.
Performed by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, and the London Cello Orchestra.
May we have a drum roll, please?
Ahem! The winner of our Second Annual Christmas Carol Contest, with Joy to the World by Nat King Cole, is [trumpet fanfare]–
Hey! You! I asked for a drum roll, didn’t I? Look alive up there, willya? Now where was I? Byron, have you seen that piece of paper with the numbers on it? “It’s right there in front of you, boss. Don’t be so nervous.”
Ah. Yes. Our carol contest winner. Y’know, it was a funny thing. The winning entry was posted on the day after the contest opened, got 25 views that day, and no one ever overtook it. I never expected that to happen. I thought the lead would change hands again and again, leading to unbearable suspense and lots of hyperventilating. But the only one who hyperventilated was Byron the Quokka’s Uncle Ulysses, who always hyperventilates around this time of year anyway.
What? What did you kick me for? Who do you think you’re poking? What’s that? “The winner, boss! Who is the winner?”
Didn’t I say? Sorry! Gimme another trumpet fanfare. [Drum roll] (He sighs. There is nothing to be done about it.)
The winner of our Second Annual Christmas Carol Contest is… Erlene!
That means you get an autographed copy of His Mercy Endureth Forever, Erlene–or any earlier book in the series (except Bell Mountain, I’ve run out of those), or you can wait for The Wind from Heaven, whenever it gets published: sometime this spring, I expect. Anyway, send me your mailing address and tell me what book you’d like to get–we’ll do the rest at our end.
Thanks, everybody, for playing and enjoying our carol contest. We’ll keep on posting Christmas carols for as long as you want them–and don’t forget the comment contest, which has started already!
Happy New Year to all!
We love these guys, and we love their music, too: Joshua and Jeremy, our friends and colleagues here on the blog.
I would’ve thought this would be difficult to play on a guitar–O Come, O Come Emanuel–but the lads are up to the challenge.
Relax and enjoy Christmas.
This request (not the other one!) comes from our friend Ina, in Scotland–Mistletoe and Wine, by Cliff Richard.
This is the last day of the carol contest, so get your entries in now.
But of course we can keep on playing Christmas hymns after the contest is over.
It’s the last day of the carol contest!
This request comes from Sue, one of my Pogo friennds–A Strange Way to Save the World, by Jason Crabb and Jay DeMarcus.
So far the leading carol was posted on Day One of the contest and has never been overtaken. I didn’t expect that!
As the carol contest winds down–where is everybody this morning?–we still have plenty of carols to play for you.
Requested by “Thewhiterabbit”: The Coventry Carol comes down to us from 16th-century England. Sung by the Columbine Chorale, this original melody was first published in 1591, although it does go back some years farther than that. The lyrics are in the form of a lullaby for the children who would be killed by Herod in Matthew Chapter 2.
It’s way too early to put away our Christmas cheer! Yes, the wicked stole our country out from under us, and it’ll be hell to pay to get it back–but we will not be able to do that without God’s help. May Our Lord fight for us!
Meanwhile, it’s still Christmas around here. And this is Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band, with an old-fashioned rendition of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
Coming down the stretch in our Christmas carol contest, we have this entry by Phoebe: Mary Had a Baby (My Lord), by the Robert Shaw Chamber Singers.
Who will win the contest? Whoever posts the carol that gets the most views on the day it was requested. And the winner gets an autographed book. It was the best I could do be way of a prize, once King Tut’s golden mask was taken off the table.
Our Second Annual Christmas Carol Contest got off to a great start, but has since let all the air out and is just lying there. Ninety percent of the entries were made by 5 percent of the readers; and the leading carol emerged on the first day of the contest and is still in front today.
All I can say is, I dunno what happened.
Anyhow, we’ve got four more days and anything can happen–right?
So here, to get somebody, anybody, started–Away in a Manger, British melody, sung by the choir of Kings College, Cambridge.
Gee, no one entered this one in the carol contest! Maybe if I post it, the contest will heat up today. There’s always a slowdown after Christmas.
Without further ado: Gesu Bambino, sung by Luciano Pavarotti.