the Sounds of Christmas

This weekend's storms have stripped the leaves from the tree outside my window, leaves that had stubbornly remained green weeks after every other leaf in town had turned gold, red, or brown, and then had been equally adamant about resisting gravity. This morning, though, light filters to my windows through a lacy network of bare branches.

I am home sick abed, felled by the Grande Dame of All Colds. Sore-throated, fuzzy-headed, sniffling and coughing, and not at all glamourous, I have not been this ill in a long time. My apartment is a TV-Free zone, so I am alternating drowsing with attempts to read and listen to music. Yesterday was Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent. Gaudete means rejoice, and I think I can stop some of my grumbling about premature Christmas music long enough to suggest some of my favorite Christmas rejoicing music to you all. It's not a long list, just my favorites.

The Sounds of Christmas, a long out-of-print Fred Waring recording, is a lovely collage of Christmas music that gives the impression of walking through a town where there are carollers on every corner. The first singing voice you hear on the recording, and the last, is that of my grandfather, Leonard Kranendonk. A more beautiful baritone cannot be imagined. I miss him.

Now is the Caroling Season and Caroling, Caroling, also Fred Waring. These are both available on CD. The singing is gorgeous and joyful, the diction unaffected yet all the words are completely understandable. Choir and other vocal ensemble directors, take note!

On Yoolis Night, by Anonymous4. Medieval carols and motets sung flawlessly, with soprano Ruth Cunningham's pure soaring voice lifting the listener to bliss.

He Is Christmas, Take Six. The perfect balance to the preceding recording, this acapella joy-fest is grounded in the body, and one must dance. Must!

Of course the Manhattan Transfer has done some lovely holiday recordings, too: The Christmas Album and  An Acapella Christmas.

Little Women, the fim soundtrack by Thomas Newman. One of my yearly rituals is the re-reading of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, a book I have been devoted to since I first read it when I was about 7. More than anything, I wanted to grow up to be Jo March. This novel has been adapted for film four times so far, once in 1918 as a silent, once in 1933 (Katherine Hepburn portayed Jo), and again in 1949 (my least favorite. June Allyson as Jo? I think not. Elizabeth Taylor as Amy? The mind reels.) My favorite of all these is director Gillian Armstrong's 1994 version, starring Winona Ryder as Jo and Susan Sarandon as Marmee - you can read more about this on the IMDB site. Thomas Newman's score is evocative and supportive and beautiful. Why is this on my Christmas list? Because the book opens at Christmas time, and as originally planned by Alcott, closes on the following Christmas (what we now know as Little Women was originally two books,Little Women and Good Wives), and so for me it has been part of my Christmas for ... hmmm... a few years.

Though at this moment I feel like I am going to be coughing all the rest of my natural life (you know that feeling!), I think that next year I will be able to add one more Christmas collection to the list: my own, which I am hoping to record in 2008.

But for now, more tea. I continue to wish you all a blessed Advent.

 

Comments

[JS]

Just dropped by to wish you a Merry one - Christmas colds are the coolest Yuletide accessory this year I've decided, having succombed in the last 24 hours. I recommend John Masefield's 'The Box of Delights', a 1930s English Harry Potteresque treasure (and only America seems to appreciate it just now, having just published a beautiful facsimile edition). And for listening, Hely-Hutchinson's A Carol Symphony (the section A Carol Symphony: III. Andante quasi lento e contabile)... then sit back and dream...

And of course thanks for 'that voice' and have a great 08!

[Linnie in Dayton]

Oops! My bad! The carol on the Clare College/Rutter CD with the tune of "Morning Has Broken" is NOT "Wexford Carol" but two tracks later, with the title "Child in a Manger," and with lyrics by none other than Mr. Rutter himself! (To my partial credit, the tune of "Wexford" is listed as "Irish trad." and that of "Child in a Manger" as "Celtic trad." so I wasn't THAT far off!)

That'll teach me to write music reviews without a fresh listen to the CD in question! Just call me Mia Culpa! : )

[Laurel]

Great suggestions, Linnie. I am curious about the Wexford Carol you mention. The Wexford Carol I know, which starts "Good people all, this Christmastime" (and is my absolute favorite carol) has longer lyric lines than "Morning has Broken", and could not possibly fit that melody. I'll definitely have to check out that recording. Thanks!

And thank you everybody for the get-well wishes. Much appreciated!

[Linnie in Dayton]

I'm so sorry you're sick! Hope you're getting better since you posted this. In my experience, the cough clings the longest, unfortunately for those of us who sing! Dextromethorphan is your little friend!

A few of my favorite Christmas CDs, which you may also enjoy:

(I'll use quotes for titles, since I don't know if italics are possible in comments.)

1. "A Renaissance Christmas" by The Boston Camerata: Speaking of Gaudete, the second track of this lovely collection of Renaissance-era choral and instrumental pieces and scripture readings (read in proper Middle English, no less!) is "Gaudete, Gaudete," credited as Swedish, 16th century. An exquisite combination of sacred and "popular" (such as "Joseph Est Bien Marie," i.e., "Joseph is Well Married.")

2. "The Holly and the Ivy" by the Choir and Orchestra of Clare College, Cambridge, conducted by John Rutter: "King Jesus Hath a Garden" is delightfully bouncy carol that I had the pleasure of singing with a church choir in a "past life" years ago. Also of note (pardon the pun) - the tune of "Morning Has Broken" appears with an alternate text as "Wexford Carol." I also particularly like their "take" on "I Saw Three Ships" and on the title track.

3. "We Three Kings" by The Roches: What more do you need to know? I believe these sisters got their start, for all intents & purposes, caroling in the streets of New York, so this was a natch. The title track is very much a "Sultans of Swing-esque" Middle Eastern groove, "Deck the Halls" is swinging Latin of some sort - calypso, maybe? "Winter Wonderland" is pure New Yawwwk! And of course, "For Unto Us a Child is Born" belongs right up there with their famous a cappella "Hallelujah Chorus" from another of their albums ("Keep On Doing" I think?)

4. Here I'll list two by one of my favorite bands, Cincinnati-based Over the Rhine - "The Darkest Night of the Year" (1996) and their apparently brand new "Snow Angels" (2007.) I've long considered "Darkest Night" one of the most unusual GOOD Christmas albums I've ever heard. It's obviously inspired by their deeply-felt but subtly-expressed Christianity and their southern Ohio small-town upbringing, but with some rock seasoning sprinkled in! In search of a copy for a friend, I just this week discovered "Snow Angels." Haven't listened to it all, but the taste I've heard is alternately bluesy and bouncy, with more originals than "Darkest Night." Guitar-player hubby heard it end-to-end today and gives it a hearty thumbs-up!

I'm delighted to hear you're planning to record your own Christmas collection soon. That will round out my Top 5 list quite nicely!

Blessings - Be Well!

Linnie

[C. J.]

Laurel, So sorry that you are feeling under the weather. Hope you get better so that you can experience all the wonderful sounds of Christmas. On another note, you mentioned that next year you plan to record a Christmas album. Yeah!! My wish has come true. Remember that I have been asking you about this on and off for the past few years. You see if you are patient.................

Take care of yourself,
My Best.

C. J.

[Enrique]

Look after yourself very much.We need You!! I expect 2008 fully of musical surprises!!!