# Some of our Christmas Favourites



## itywltmt

*This is the second of Pierre's Twelve Days of Blogging.*







Related Posts:
Christmas Classics

En français

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog on this page of *Christmas Classics that were not traditional Christmas Carols*. Well, for this Christmas day, this is a no-holds barred, sing along kind of blog, with stuff that is more along the lines of the traditional Christmas fare.

I have put together a YouTube playlist over the past couple of weeks, and you are welcome to use it as background music for your present openings, or whatever else you would want "mood music" for. I will single-out a couple of selections that are especially meaningful for me.

The French poem *Minuit, chrétiens *(Midnight, Christians) by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877) was set to music by *Adolphe Adam* in 1847 (the same Adam who gave us _Giselle_). This piece is known under a different name in English - *O Holy Night*. The lyrics of the original (click here) are very/very different from the English lyrics which seem to soften up it's religious fervour.

In my book, there is _only one recording _of this song, period, and it features French lyric tenor *Georges Thill (1897-1984)*:






The English-speaking carol repertoire was featured indirectly in my Classical Christmas playlist in the *Leroy Anderson *medley _A Christmas Festival_. I did, however, choose a few of them, performed by the *USAF Heritage of America Band*, with a very unique rendition of "Jingle Bells":






(More selections on the Web from that band include the following (out-of-print) recordings that offer some MP3's for your listening pleasure: Christmas in Hampton Roads, and Holly and Ivy).

*White Christmas* is another well-loved standard. I have a few renditions on my playlist - one by _Bing Crosby_, one in french by _Ginette Reno _and this one from a live broadcast hosted by "Symphony" Sid Torin from the Royal Roost in 1948



> [...] You know somebody called a little while ago, when they called at the studio, and they said, I wonder if you could get Bird [Charlie Parker] to do something on Christmas? Well, it's fitting, this is Christmas, ah, morning, and the Bird's got a little arrangement, a little surprise for you [...]


Featuring Charlie Parker on Alto Sax:






How about this little ditty from *Gayla Peevey*. A most unusual gift request…






There is a fine Christmas recording by the *Twin Cities Catholic Chorale* of St-Paul MN (Click here for the entire album). I created a quick montage for this playlist:






*In closing, a very Merry Christmas, stay safe, enjoy your families, and we'll see you tomorrow for our third day of blogging.*

Your YouTube Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC8570B61EF90DC62&feature=view_all


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## Lunasong

Loved hearing the Cantique de Noël version by Georges Thill. Magnificent voice.


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