Yesterday’s carol ended with the words ‘That we may there sing thee nowell’, so it seemed fitting to do a Nowell sort of carol today. I know this carol better in the English, Easter version, Now the Green Blade Riseth,…
Tag: advent calendar
Advent Calendar 4 – Out Of Thy Sleep
It still feels a bit too early in Advent for proper Christmas carols, though I will undoubtedly change my mind about that very shortly! But this one kind of fits in with the Advent 1 ‘Wachet Auf / Sleepers Awake’…
Advent Calendar Day 3 – Deck the Halls
Have you put up your tree yet? We decorated ours over the weekend, under the supervision and determined direction of my small niece… This is one of the arrangements I wrote for my work choir.
Advent Calendar Day 2 – The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
Still early in Advent, so I feel like a carol celebrating the Annunciation (with just a touch of the Magnificat) is a nice choice. Also, I’ve just always liked this one. (And yes, it took me multiple recordings NOT to…
Advent Calendar Day 1 – O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
I hope you have all been travelling well through this plague year. I have both too much and too little to say, and very little of it has been about food, which is why I haven’t been posting here. But…
Advent Calendar Day 25: Four Carols and an Oratorio
Merry Christmas! I always find it impossible to choose just one beautiful piece of music for Christmas Day, and this year, I’m not even going to try! Instead, you are getting four carols and an oratorio – and it’s all…
Advent Calendar Day 24: Quem Vidistis Pastores – Poulenc
Alright, I am going to tear myself reluctantly out of the baroque era and leap forward into the middle of the 20th century, where we find the French composer, Francis Poulenc bringing a more mysterious and spooky flair to the…
Advent Calendar Day 23: Behold I Bring you Glad Tidings – Purcell
So this one is completely and shamefully serendipitous. I actually don’t know what I typed into Google that produced a Christmas Oratorio by Purcell, and I also don’t know how on earth I missed the fact that Purcell wrote such…
Advent Calendar Day 22: Jauchzet! Frohlocket! – JS Bach
From quiet joy to drums and drama! And yes, I’m just taking you on a tour of my favourite composers now. But if that isn’t something you like, what on earth are you doing here? This piece is a total…
Advent Calendar Day 21: Behold, I bring you glad tidings – Gibbons
Only five days left until Christmas morning, so I think we are about ready for some glad tidings of great joy! And, as you may have gathered, few things bring me more musical joy than a verse anthem by Orlando…