Favourite Christmas Music

[Karafan]

Harold Darke's arrangement of In the Bleak Midwinter...just divine.

[Petrushka]

Harold Darke's arrangement of In the Bleak Midwinter...just divine.

I do so agree. A rare example of a newer tune ousting an established one. Who heard the once popular Holst version sung this Christmas?

[Karafan]

Quite agree Petrushka, it does seem to have completely usurped its predecessor, but I much prefer it....

[ToneLower]

There was a bit in the Telegraph about it, implying the Darke tune's become more popular because of some Wives' singing group. Us tonelowerers only use the Holst tune and enjoy fitting the words in wrongly - tho' I've heard numerous Darke addicts get the words tangled, too.

[mopsus]

Surely Darke and Holst can co-exist? The Holst tune is congregational, Darke's setting is for choir. For the record, I sang Holst at least twice this Christmas, once in church and once while out carol-singing (by special request of the person whose door we were singing at).

[Sir Velo]

For those who enjoy the authentic Yule Experience, try hearing St George's Canzona perform The Coventry Carol. Anyone who remembers this band will know that their arrangement used forces appropriate to the middle ages, replete with fabulous sounding instruments like gitterns, rebecs, crumhorn, curtal, vielle etc, all combining to produce an underlying drone accompaniment to the main melody.

Anyone else have any recommendations for authentic medieval Christmas music?

[ardcarp]

There is no rose of sich virtu. Anon

[antongould]

No boggling here! It's magnificent! I put 2 Christmas CDs in the car system for travelling on 25th - the Finzi "In Terra Pax" disc on Naxos, and that 'Rat Pack' album.

The former was on when we drove to Christmas lunch - the three Howells carols and the Finzi piece itself are so lovely - that orchestral intro to the Finzi...

And then the Rat Pack accompanied us back home at night. "Baby. it's cold outside" with Dean Martin was a favourite - but yes, those kids singing "Feliz navidad" etc etc made us giggle!

Great stuff!!

One of the great seasonal posts IMHO Rumpole ......you must try to keep up the standard this year.....

[Nick Armstrong]

One of the great seasonal posts IMHO Rumpole ......you must try to keep up the standard this year.....

How kind... yes, better stock the auto-changer again

[MickyD]

For those who enjoy the authentic Yule Experience, try hearing St George's Canzona perform The Coventry Carol. Anyone who remembers this band will know that their arrangement used forces appropriate to the middle ages, replete with fabulous sounding instruments like gitterns, rebecs, crumhorn, curtal, vielle etc, all combining to produce an underlying drone accompaniment to the main melody.

Anyone else have any recommendations for authentic medieval Christmas music?

Yes, indeed, Sir V! A very nice compilation made back in the 80s by The Martin Best Ensemble called "Thys Yool"...copies going for £2.99 on Amazon, I recommend it most highly.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thys-Mittelalterliche-Weihnachten-Martin-Ensemble/dp/B000024NQC/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1386399158&sr=1-5&keywords=Martin+Best+Ensemble

[Sir Velo]

Thanks for that Micky - that's just the kind of personal recommendation I was hoping for! Duly ordered.

I've also been tempted by The Sixteen's album Christus Natus Est (bought on spec with the assurance that it includes authentic instruments of the period) and Tallis Scholars Christmas Carols and Motets; the latter includes not one but three (!) versions of The Coventry Carol including Byrd's Lullaby, which at 6'27 means I can wallow in my favourite carol (always felt short changed with the 3 minute "pop song" version).

[Sir Velo]

- that orchestral intro to the Finzi...

No one does wide eyed innocence better than GF. It may not be strictly "Christmas" music but Dies Natalis is a Yuletide favourite of mine. Torn between the Wilfrid Brown and Philip Langridge as to the most magical singing of this glorious piece.

[ardcarp]

As I shall be in Norway this Christmas. I'm looking forward to hearing the Jentekor (youth choir) of Nidarosdomen (Trondheim Cathedral). They have a separate boys' choir and girls' choir, both of which are superb. I was blown away by a televised Christmas concert from there a few years ago which was not only highly polished, but which radiated joy and vitality. It made KCC (seen on the Norwegian version of BBC World) seem rather staid.

[MickyD]

Thanks for that Micky - that's just the kind of personal recommendation I was hoping for! Duly ordered.

I've also been tempted by The Sixteen's album Christus Natus Est (bought on spec with the assurance that it includes authentic instruments of the period) and Tallis Scholars Christmas Carols and Motets; the latter includes not one but three (!) versions of The Coventry Carol including Byrd's Lullaby, which at 6'27 means I can wallow in my favourite carol (always felt short changed with the 3 minute "pop song" version).

You are very welcome..I hope you enjoy it. Another old favourite of mine is this lovely disc of Praetorius Christmas music, which you can also pick up cheaply on Amazon. It is big band renaissance stuff, and the choir are wonderful!

http://www.amazon.fr/Christmas-Music-Praetorius-Michael/dp/B000002ZIZ/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1386413165&sr=1-1&keywords=praetorius+parley+of+instruments

[Nick Armstrong]

Thanks for that Micky - that's just the kind of personal recommendation I was hoping for! Duly ordered.

Ditto!! (That may make it into the car on 25th this year )

No one does wide eyed innocence better than GF. It may not be strictly "Christmas" music but Dies Natalis is a Yuletide favourite of mine. Torn between the Wilfrid Brown and Philip Langridge as to the most magical singing of this glorious piece.

I don't listen to it at Yuletide as it happens, but I suppose strictly it is Christmas music, as it's a 'babe-cam' view of the birth of the Christ child, ain't it?