Favorite Christmas hymns?

I find it a period of mixed emotion. Sometimes you can put your knife and fork into turkey breast and wonder why you are indulging like this. Sometimes it's coincided with my own periods of other trouble. Probably, more generally, I think we can ponder how commercial so much of it seems to be.

Of course songs, even chart songs can hold memories. I'm (in terms of popular music - I was born in 1960) a late 60s/70s child so if you did want to go Christmas Songs, even Slade and the days of Glam Rock have memories...

Yes, and the duet between David Bowie and Bing Crosby doing Little Drummer Boy is pretty magical too.
 
I sing a cappella sometimes in church, but I don't like to sing solo. I need three other voices (at least) so we can have 4-part harmony.
 
I sing a cappella sometimes in church, but I don't like to sing solo. I need three other voices (at least) so we can have 4-part harmony.

A couple of things (folkish tastes) the other has got me thinking. I've mentioned all this before but am not sure you were around then...

There is (not that I've participated in it) in the UK a secular carol tradition in parts, eg. South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. I know you (unlike me although I could slowly write dots into abc) can read music. So here's a version of Diadem.

http://www.joe-offer.com/folkinfo/songs/389.html
 
I find it a period of mixed emotion. Sometimes you can put your knife and fork into turkey breast and wonder why you are indulging like this. Sometimes it's coincided with my own periods of other trouble. Probably, more generally, I think we can ponder how commercial so much of it seems to be.

Of course songs, even chart songs can hold memories. I'm (in terms of popular music - I was born in 1960) a late 60s/70s child so if you did want to go Christmas Songs, even Slade and the days of Glam Rock have memories...

Ever since my Grandfather died on my Christmas break from college, I just could never get into it again. It's been a couple of years, so maybe this one will be different. We shall see!
 
Funny how things go. I've tried to trace it before and failed. I was making a thorough mess of trying to get my fragments of memory into abc and all of a sudden my mother found it. It's something we used to sing in primary school (at the time tiny one in N Wales) but I'd not come across it anywhere else. Apparently written by Peter Chesters. We sang it a bit faster. Anyone else know it?

 
I was inspired to rewrite "Angels We Have Heard on High" a couple of years ago. I think it turned out really well. Here is a very rough version I recorded in front of the computer. There is no production value to speak of, so please excuse the errors and poor recording quality. Also it is me singing, so you get what you pay for. :)
 
I'm not sure that one would be one for me but

I was inspired to rewrite "Angels We Have Heard on High" a couple of years ago. I think it turned out really well. Here is a very rough version I recorded in front of the computer. There is no production value to speak of, so please excuse the errors and poor recording quality. Also it is me singing, so you get what you pay for. :)

I got it from you for free. And (without comment on your song, my own folk and floor spots world is one where warts (if they exist) are allowed) Thanks for posting it.

I've no carols of me and am going through a time where it would be difficult for me to try but this was me as a sort of a folk bit. Sad and not Christmasy I'm afraid, just in the spirit of sharing voices.... http://www.jonbanjo.com/cfpics/willymoore.mp3 and maybe in the spirit of trying to get to know one another better.
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure that one would be one for me but



I got it from you for free. And (without comment on your song, my own folk and floor spots world is one where warts (if they exist) are allowed) Thanks for posting it.

I've no carols of me and am going through a time where it would be difficult for me to try but this was me as a sort of a folk bit. Sad and not Christmasy I'm afraid, just in the spirit of sharing voices.... http://www.jonbanjo.com/cfpics/willymoore.mp3 and maybe in the spirit of trying to get to know one another better.
Good stuff. I could almost hear the Celtic women group singing it.
 
When I was a kid back in the dark ages my dad had a record of Christmas music by Roger Whittaker. One of the songs was called Darcy the Dragon. It was about a dragon who went into town to buy Christmas presents and kept accidentally setting things on fire every time he talked.

I also like Ottmar Liebert's Christmas albums and the Charlie Brown Christmas special soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi.

My favorite actual Christmas hymn is the Huron Carol.
 
When I was a kid back in the dark ages my dad had a record of Christmas music by Roger Whittaker. One of the songs was called Darcy the Dragon. It was about a dragon who went into town to buy Christmas presents and kept accidentally setting things on fire every time he talked.

I also like Ottmar Liebert's Christmas albums and the Charlie Brown Christmas special soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi.

My favorite actual Christmas hymn is the Huron Carol.

I "know" Roger Whittaker because of "Durham Town" and "The Last Farewell". I'd not come of this before:


I know that when we tried to transcribe what we had of the pamphlets into abc, Huron Carol was another of the ones covered in Singing Together by BBC schools radio but I don't remember learning it at my time in school.

 
I "know" Roger Whittaker because of "Durham Town" and "The Last Farewell". I'd not come of this before:


I know that when we tried to transcribe what we had of the pamphlets into abc, Huron Carol was another of the ones covered in Singing Together by BBC schools radio but I don't remember learning it at my time in school.


Thanks for posting those! I didn't have time to search for them. The picture on the cover of the Roger Whittaker album brings back memories...
 
Back
Top