Keeping up with the theme of Christmas entertainment, I thought that I would also jot down some of the Christmas music that I especially love during this time of year.
I know that there are more songs to add to this list, but these are all of the ones I can think of at present. I’ll continually add to this list as I remember other wonderful Christmas songs (or become familiar with ones!).
• "White Christmas" sung by Bing Crosby (both the recorded version or the version from the beginning of the film).
• "Jingle Bells" sung by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
• "The Christmas Song" (also called “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”) sung by Mel Tormé. (In 1963, the Judy Garland Christmas Show featured a fun duet for this song with Garland and Tormé).
• "Baby It’s Cold Outside" sung by Dean Martin (although I really love the new version that was recently released by American Idol contestants Casey Abrahms and Haley Reinhardt).
• "Christmas Blues" sung by Dean Martin (I'm guessing that the linked video is from a Colgate Comedy Hour episode.)
• "Let it Snow" sung by Dean Martin
• "Zat You, Santy Claus?" sung by Louis Armstrong
• "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" sung by Judy Garland (as performed in "Meet Me in Saint Louis")
• "Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town," specifically a jazzy arrangement by Kirby Shaw (This is a nostalgic song for me, since I sang this song in high school with my two close friends, Katie and Heather.)
•"Happy Xmas: The War is Over" by John Lennon (The music video for this song seems especially relevant this year, with all of the troops coming home.)
• "Wonderful Christmas Time" by Paul McCartney & Wings
I also love traditional,
sacred Christmas music
that has been written
over the centuries.
Choral performances
are some of my favorites.
• Handel’s "Messiah" (One of my favorite soprano soloists for the Messiah is Emma Kirby. I love listening to her agile, clear voice sing "For He is Like a Refiner's Fire.")
• "Lo How a Rose Ere Blooming," especially when sung by Frederica von Stade in the Carnegie Christmas concert (see below).
• "Coventry Carol" ("Lullay, Lullay, Thou Little Tiny Child")
• "The Angel Gabriel" (sometimes called "Gabriel's Message")
• Benjamin Britten’s "A Ceremony of Carols" (Some of my favorites are "Procession," "Wolcum Yole," "Spring Carol," "Balulalow," "Deo Gracias," and "There is No Rose.")
• Music from the 1991 Carnegie Christmas Concert with Frederica von Stade, Kathleen Battle, and Wynton Marsallis (I included a photo of Frederica and Kathleen at the top of this post). "The Twelve Days of Christmas" performance is one of my favorites. And I love "Gesu Bambino." And the "Christmas Songs" medley.
•I also love listening to fantastic Christmas music sung by boy choirs.
There are some great YouTube clips of the King's College Cambridge
Okay. Now it’s your turn. What Christmas songs do you enjoy?
Image above: Giotto's Nativity from the Scrovegni Chapel (1305-1306).
Posts
5 comments:
I was just in the process of composing such a post for my blog as well! To no one's surprise, I would fully endorse all of your songs (particularly those with Kathleen and Frederica) and add Jesus Christ the Apple Tree.
where is "mary did you know?" on the list? Did I just read through this too quickly? :)
When we were grad students, I was in the french choir for one semester for ridiculous reasons. I can't pronounce french words and can't sing parts well either. oh the times I had! Anyhow we put on a christmas concert and sang "quelle est cette odeur agreable" or whatever the title is. (in my head, I just call it the "what's that smell" song). I'd never heard it before or after that concert until your post.
In my family, we always sing this weird song called "happy birthday, jesus"
Ha! Josh, now I'm going to think "What's that Smell?" every time I hear "Whence is that Goodly Fragrance..." I bet French choir with you would have been a hoot. My friends and I (including ixoj, who commented above) sang in German choir when we were freshman. That was fun. None of us really spoke German, either.
I also love "The Coventry Carol" and "O Come, O Come Emmanuel".
Some of my other favorite traditional songs are: "Fum, Fum, Fum;" "Pat-a-Pan," and "The Holly and the Ivy." I sang all of them in choirs and loved the choral arrangments.
I'm so glad you shared Casey and Hayley's version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside". That was so fun. They sound amazing together.
Post a Comment