Christmas music

Starlily, I too love to hear the Salvation Army band. When I was a child they would walk round our little village at Christmas, playing at various places as they went. That sound is still the sound of Christmas for me and brings tears to my eyes.

I also learnt il est née in French at school too & have since sung it in English with my choir, but prefer it in French.
Another French one I leant was Un flambeau Jeanette Isabella (Bring a torch) which I also prefer in French.
I have friend who love to sing Silent night in German, but I didn’t learn German...?

I have a recording of that Carol with voices and medieval instruments, tiredoldwoman, it’s lovely.

tiredoldwoman I love that carol. We used to sing it in French at school.

Il est nee le Divine Enfant , learnt it at school and still love it .

I think I've read all this thread now and am surprised no one has mentioned "Scarlet Ribbons". I think I would cry if I heard that again. Haven't heard it for ages.

Not that I particularly like it, but at this time of year I think you are allowed to indulge in some sentimentality.

We sang Britten's Ceremony of Carols a couple of years ago - it was lovely.

German carols are so terribly dreary. Our choir started to discover some English ones a few years ago and I found myself unable to sing "The First Noel", I was so choked up.

And then,of course, all those lovely Rutter carols. They are so fresh and new and yet they have the right amount of sentimentality and somehow manage to sound "traditional".

I also love Fairy Tale Of New York and also Mary’s Boy Child by Harry Belafonte because my Mum and Dad loved it and it reminds me of them, Boney M did a good version too.

My favourite carols were Tua Bethlem Dre ,a Welsh carol, and the Calypso Carol. I knew O come all ye faithful in Welsh and latin( for some reason) before I learned it in English.

I wonder if the local schools will have their carol singing performances in the supermarkets this year. It always brings a lump to my throat thinking of my own grandchildren. I’m afraid this year I’ll be a blubbering wreck in Tesco if I hear them.

I love the Sally Army brass band carols, too, @starlily106.

I enjoy cathedral choirs singing carols if I am in the house. If I am driving then it has to be ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ by Chris Rea. It reminds me of Christmas Eve a few years ago, I had been away from home for a few months looking after my Father, he came out of hospital on 23rd December, I came home on Christmas Eve and shopped on the way home, managed with what was left on the shelves. During the long journey home this record was played several times. Still my favourite.

We sang a couple of Latin ones (Personent Hodie was my favourite) and a French one I still really like - Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant - I’d forgotten that until all this ‘school’ talk!

I still love any carol played and sung by the Salvation Army on the streets at Christmas. Don't hear them much these days, but when I was a child they were always around, and I must admit I always get a little bit teary when I stand listening to them

We learnt o come all ye faithful (adeste Fidelis) in latin at school & I can still remember it.

I shall also be roasting my chestnuts over an open fire - or DH’s if he doesn’t stop buying silly Christmas decorations!

O Come O Come Emmanuel is another favourite of mine too, Witzend, and probably for the same reason. We used to sing it in Latin at my school and the words seem to fit the tune so much better! I found this lovely version sung by Hayley Westenra on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tId6ePj7Zpo&feature=emb_logo

Witzend I too am dusting off the sheet music. Nothing too demanding - one of my favourites is John Rutter’s Nativity Carol, and Quem Pastores Laudavere, which is sublime. We used to sing it at school but not in Latin.

Thank you Lucretzia for the link to my favourite Christmas song, the original video too!

Lots of favourite traditional carols mentioned here, some new settings like the Annie Lennox one have joined my 'play again' list, it goes well with Steeleye Span's version of Gaudete, another favourite.

As someone who sings in a choir yes, I love Handel's Messiah but can I do a shout out for Bach's Christmas Oratorio as well. Gorgeous music, wonderful to sing. Christmas isn't complete for me without playing this through at least once!

My favourite by far this year though has been DGD's version of 3 Kings who come from 'a farm'!

pollyperkins

Oh calendar 37 I forgot the Snowman - I love that too.
Yes I remember the Zither Carol and also the Cowboy Carol which was always good fun to sing . You’ve all reminded me of other favourites too like the Angel Gabriel.

I remember lots of silly words we used to sing too:
We three kings of Orient are
One in a taxi, one in a car
One in a scooter beeping his hooter
Coming from Leamington Spa

And

Good King Wenceslas looked out
Of his bedroom winder
He fell out & burnt his snout
On a red hot cinder
Brightly shone his nose that night
And the pain was cruel
When a doctor came in sight
Riding on a mu-u-el

“ We three Beatles of Liverpool are,
George in a taxi, John in a car.
Paul on a scooter, tooting his hooter all
Following Ringo Starr”

* Lilyflower*, another thing I’ll miss from my Canarian Christmas will be the Christmas Day Messiah on television. I always loved to sing along, much to the Bodach’s embarrassment!

Greyduster, that's a lovely Christmas Eve tradition!

I always loved O Come O Come Emmanuel, since it was always the first we sang in school assembly after the beginning of Advent. The beginning of Christmas!

Two carols that were new to me when dds learned them at school for a carol service, were the Calypso Carol and the Cowboy ditto. I’m more a fan of the traditional, but these two are so lively and jolly, I liked them from the start.

We were once invited to a ticketed major carol singalong at a big church near friends in Devon. I was so looking forward to it, but oh, what a disappointment. I’m familiar with masses of carols, but I’d never even heard of several, and those I thought I knew, were sung to an unfamiliar tune. Towards the very end it was The Holly And The Ivy - surely they can’t muck this one up, I thought - but it was also sung to a non traditional tune. ☹️

Oh calendar 37 I forgot the Snowman - I love that too.
Yes I remember the Zither Carol and also the Cowboy Carol which was always good fun to sing . You’ve all reminded me of other favourites too like the Angel Gabriel.

I remember lots of silly words we used to sing too:
We three kings of Orient are
One in a taxi, one in a car
One in a scooter beeping his hooter
Coming from Leamington Spa

And

Good King Wenceslas looked out
Of his bedroom winder
He fell out & burnt his snout
On a red hot cinder
Brightly shone his nose that night
And the pain was cruel
When a doctor came in sight
Riding on a mu-u-el

I love Handel's Messiah at Christmas and all of the lovely traditional carols.

I have just found Mozart's ' Three German Dances on YouTube, WHITEWAVE2, very nice. Thanks for that!

In the bleak midwinter is my favoutite. (A lot of carols are very easy to play on a simple keyboard)

tiredoldwoman

I love Little Drummer Boy .
I don't know the connection between it and the Moors Murders , would someone tell me ?

I've pm'd you tow - I don't want to mar this happy thread with the details of the connection