Carols in and out of fashion

[ardcarp]

....was blown away by Tavener's 'God is With Us' (A Christmas Proclamation). The entry of the organ is absolutely stunning and, if you don't know the piece, will blow your socks off

I know it well. I'm not a huge Tavener fan, but that organ blast which you mention is a coup de theatre (in the best sense). Provided, of course that the choir has stayed at pitch!

[Simon Biazeck]

I'm not a fan of Tavener either but the organ in 'God is with us' is cleverly pitched so that only the choir and those with perfect pitch would be aware of any loss in pitch. 'The Lamb' is fine. Very effective and logical.

[Old Grumpy]

Not a carol, as such, but the other night I replayed the 2014 Carols from King's and was blown away by Tavener's 'God is With Us' (A Christmas Proclamation). The entry of the organ is absolutely stunning and, if you don't know the piece, will blow your socks off. I enjoyed it so much I played it four times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIkc...Dyba-U&index=1

Not a Carol, but this version of Tavener's Song for Athene by the Gabrieli Consort and Paul McReesh has a fantastic organ entry at around 5 minutes. I do not have the sleeve notes to hand, but IIRC, this was with the express permission of the composer.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1STjGe0pS6OM9PqghcoQJE?si=UmBbRP1AQhiv7LC_ntVsAQ

[Sir Velo]

John Foster's setting of "While Shepherds" heard all too infrequently, and a welcome antidote to all that Victorian solemnity.

[MickyD]

I think Rutter has rather taken over in many cases. I don't especially dislike his carols but I do find it all gets a bit "samey" after a while. They are popular with audiences so do tend to get trotted out for concerts, often despite the choir's lack of enthusiasm. I'm glad that when I was involved with intensive carol singing in the 70s there was more of the likes of those in #2 and#3, and the Rutter came much later with non-church singing.

I am an unashamed fan of John Rutter! For me, one of his very best carols of recent years is "All Bells in Paradise" - I think it's enchanting.

[oddoneout]

There was a selection of (modern)Christmas music including some of carol-type in Afternoon Concert today.
It included Nova Nova by Ian Farrington which was mentioned in another context ( CE,St John's Advent service)and which is now bugging me because it sounded very familiar - but I haven't sung it(obviously as it's newly minted).

[cloughie]

[/QUOTE=MickyD;902734]I am an unashamed fan of John Rutter! For me, one of his very best carols of recent years is "All Bells in Paradise" - I think it's enchanting.[/QUOTE]

He’s the Mr Christmas of choral music. I always love to hear his ‘Shepherd’s Pipe Carol’ - a good tune, simple but very effective - on ‘James Galway’s Christmas Carol’.

[gradus]

The Carol of the Bells seems to be everywhere this year. Its an interesting piece that can be very sweet or almost ominous, hence perhaps its ubiquity.

[Petrushka]

I greatly enjoy two carols by William Matthias: 'A Boy is Born' and 'Sir Christemas'.

One we used to sing in our choir over 50 years ago was Tchaikovsky's 'Legend (The Crown of Roses)' one you never hear nowadays but is suitable for both Christmas and Easter. If I remember correctly it was in the Oxford Book of Carols.

[Simon Biazeck]

The Carol of the Bells seems to be everywhere this year. Its an interesting piece that can be very sweet or almost ominous, hence perhaps its ubiquity.

Written by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych, which may explain its reemergence this year.

[cloughie]

One we used to sing in our choir over 50 years ago was Tchaikvosky's 'Legend (The Crown of Thorns)' one you never hear nowadays but is suitable for both Christmas and Easter. If I remember correctly it was in the Oxford Book of Carols.

A lovely tune with, at times, rather gruesome lyrics. Sang this in a TTBB arrangement a few years ago.

[PeterboroughDiapason]

I must admit that I wish carol services were based more on simple carols rather than what I think of as Christmas anthems or overblown arrangements. Carols from the (old) Oxford Book of Carols, for example. So many arrangements seem to me to destroy the melodies rather than enhance them. In particular, I don't like harmonies - however clever -that stray too far from the simple originals. The Nativity story is a very simple one and the point of a carol service is to tell it in readings and music. The music is not an end in itself. I know I'm old-fashioned!

Carol concerts are a different matter, of course.

What is a carol, anyway?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

One we used to sing in our choir over 50 years ago was Tchaikvosky's 'Legend (The Crown of Thorns)' one you never hear nowadays but is suitable for both Christmas and Easter. If I remember correctly it was in the Oxford Book of Carols.

I’ve sung Tchaikovsky’s “The Crown of Roses” (Legend) several times recently. It’s in Carol for Choirs 3, though it’s rather gruesome for Christmas inclusion.

I’ve also made two recorder ensemble arrangements of it.

[Alison]

I had quite forgotten about the Tchaikovsky Legend, not encountered since leaving school.

I saw three ships and People, look East seem to have become less popular.

[Petrushka]

I must admit that I wish carol services were based more on simple carols rather than what I think of as Christmas anthems or overblown arrangements. Carols from the (old) Oxford Book of Carols, for example. So many arrangements seem to me to destroy the melodies rather than enhance them. In particular, I don't like harmonies - however clever -that stray too far from the simple originals. The Nativity story is a very simple one and the point of a carol service is to tell it in readings and music. The music is not an end in itself. I know I'm old-fashioned!

Carol concerts are a different matter, of course.

What is a carol, anyway?

In a way, I think you've answered your question in your first paragraph. Many Christmas carols are a simple retelling of the Nativity story, mostly based on folk music and the dance, used as a means of telling the simple story to those who could not read. Many of them are of French or Basque origin as well as English. This is what our choirmaster told us boys back in the day and it makes sense to me. Many confuse carols with hymns when they are a different thing altogether but that battle seems to have been long lost.

My own dislike is of descants. most of which don't work and do little to enhance the main melody which often gets lost in a too strong treble line. I except the Willcocks' descants to 'O Come...' and 'Hark the Herald' which are genuine melodies in their own right and which, as choirboys, we used to love to sing. There's another one (not Willcocks, not sure who did it) to 'While Shepherds Watched' which could act as an alternative tune. Apart from these, most descants are terrible. (in my view).