21 Dec 14
Originally posted by FMFOther hearty-hale-fellow-well-met type ones I like are "Deck the Halls", "Good King Wenceslas", "Ding Dong Merrily on High" and "We Three Kings of Orient are".
I like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". That's a hearty one. But my favourites are probably the slow powerful ones like "Silent Night" and "Noel".
21 Dec 14
Originally posted by FMFI said what I said. Nothing more. Stop reading volumes into a short comment.
Are you saying you are against "setting upon" fellow posters?
I'm not going to stand here entertaining you. If you were standing in front of me, I'd probably try to push your smarmy face in. Have fun here, trolls. The thread was a good one until you derailed it.
21 Dec 14
Originally posted by SuzianneWhat are your favourite carols?
I said what I said. Nothing more. Stop reading volumes into a short comment.
I'm not going to stand here entertaining you. If you were standing in front of me, I'd probably try to push your smarmy face in. Have fun here, trolls. The thread was a good one until you derailed it.
21 Dec 14
Originally posted by Grampy Bobby"Caroling during Christmas"
"Christmas 2014: God became a Child so that we could become the children of God as commemorated in song. Caroling during Christmas was popular even in the 18th century. In Fact most of the popular carols sung today were written during the 18th century and early 19th century."
* [b]"While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" The Author: The carol “While Shepherds Watched” dates back to 1703. The words were written by Nahum Tate, (1652–1715). Nahum Tate was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1652. He was the son of clergymen and poet Faithful Teate, who had been rector of Castleterra, Ballyhaise, until his house was burnt and his family attacked after he had passed on information to the government about plans for the Irish Rebellion of 1641.
Nahum followed his father to Trinity College, Dublin in 1668, and graduated BA in 1672. By 1676 he had moved to London and was writing for a living. The following year he had adopted the spelling Tate, which would remain until his death, in 1715, in Southwark, London, England. He was an Irish poet, hymnist and lyricist, who became England’s poet laureate in 1692 in the reign of Queen Anne.
Tate’s name is connected with the famous “New Version of the Psalms of David,” (1696), for which he collaborated with poet and “Anglican Divine,” Nicholas Brady. “Divines” are clergy whose theological writings have been considered standards for faith, doctrine, worship and spirituality and whose influence has permeated the Anglican Communion in varying degrees through the years.
A supplement to the “New Version of the Psalms of David” was licensed in 1703, which included the Christmas carol “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks.” It was the only Christmas hymn authorized to be sung by the Anglican Church, as prior to 1700 only the “Psalms of David” were permitted to be sung. “While Shepherds Watched” is the only song of the sixteen works in the 1700 supplement to still be sung today.
This carol was written in common meter, (consisting of four lines which alternate between iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter rhyming in the pattern a-b-a-b), and is based on the Gospel of Luke 2:8-14. Tate and Brady were the first to paraphrase the psalms for singing in rhyme which then became distinctive of their work.
No doubt the popularity of this carol has been enhanced by the tuneful and familiar melody that was adapted from “Siroe,” an opera by George Frederick Handel. This carol is most commonly sung to two different tunes: Winchester Old in the United Kingdom and a variation on Handel’s “Siroe” arranged by Lowell Mason in the United States. Humorously, children love to parody the words “While shepherds watched their flocks by night” and replacing them with “While Shepherds wash their socks by night!” -From an email received today from a pastor/teacher in New England (Part 1 of 4; Part 2: The Song)
I quite like "Once in Royal David's City".
21 Dec 14
[i]Originally posted by Grampy Bobby[/I]"Caroling during Christmas..."
* "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" (Continued)
"Based on the Gospel account in Luke 2, it reflects the Shepherd’s account of the announcement of the birth of the Messiah. Luke 2:11, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” Shepherds in ancient times would sit all night beside their flocks, watching ...[text shortened]... of Jesus Christ and living in His righteousness whenever we can." (Part 2 of 4; The First Noel next)
* "The First Noel
The Origin: The First Noel is unknown in origin but is generally thought to be English dating back to the sixteenth century, as a peasant folk song. All historical evidence indicates that the song emerged from the remote Cornwall region of southwest England in the mid 16th century. Whoever was responsible for writing this carol was obviously very enthusiastic about the birth of Christ and fully understood its wonder, but did not have a full grasp on the Scriptures that told the story of that birth, because, there are two slight errors in the carol. In the second stanza it says, “They looked up and saw a star shining in the east, beyond them far; and to the earth it gave great light, and so it continued both day and night.”
1. There is no account of the shepherds seeing the star in Scripture; only in the account of the Magi does the star appear.
2. In addition, it places the star in the east, from whence the wise men came, rather than the west, the direction they would have been traveling.
When “The First Noel” was written, there were very few Bibles in circulation. Most were either in churches or monasteries and were written in Latin. Common people rarely saw a Bible in person, and even if they would have, they probably would not have been able to read it, since most people in those days were illiterate. This may have been the case with its composer. With no Bible to guide him, he drew from the stories he had been told about the events of Christ’s birth. Most he recounted accurately, but he erred regarding the shepherds following the star to Christ’s birthplace and the placement of the star in the east. Nevertheless, it tells of the great gift of God’s salvation that is given to man through the birth and death of His Son Jesus Christ.
The word Noel comes from the French word Noël meaning Christmas, from the Latin word natalis which translates as “birthday.” The repetition of the joyous “noel” in the refrain is equivalent to our singing out “happy birthday” to someone.
There is a misconception that the First Noel was French because of the French spelling of Noel as opposed to the olde English Anglo-Saxon spelling of the word as in Nowell. After England was captured by the Normans, numerous words were adopted from the Norman French language and “Noel” replaced the original spelling “Nowell,” as some early printed versions of this carol use the Nowell spelling.
It is also thought to be a version of an earlier melody sung in a church gallery setting “The First O Well”; a conjectural reconstruction of this earlier version can be found in the New Oxford Book of Carols.
“The First Noel” was first published in 1832 when it appeared in “Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern,” a collection of seasonal carols gathered by William B. Sandys. It also appeared in “Gilbert and Sandys Carols” in 1833, both of which were edited by William Sandys and arranged, edited and with extra lyrics written by Davies Gilbert for “Hymns and Carols of God.”
Today, it is usually performed in a four-part hymn arrangement by the English composer John Stainer, first published in his “Carols, New and Old” in 1871. Variations of its theme are included in Victor Hely-Hutchinson’s “Carol Symphony.” (3 of 4)
21 Dec 14
Originally posted by SuzianneAny of the carols your favorite as a child or now?
I have fond memories of caroling with church members and schoolmates when I was a child. I've never been able to carry a tune, but it was mainly being part of a group having fun that I remember from that young age.
And there was always hot chocolate. 😀
21 Dec 14
Originally posted by FMF"26 Popular Traditional Christmas Carols w/ Festive Art by Thomas Kinkade
I asked her about her favourite carols but she didn't answer. I think she had some other purpose for posting on this thread. 😉
What are your favourite carols, Grampy Bobby?
An 80 minute collection of 26 much-beloved traditional Christmas carols, sung by a variety of well-known..." I've been enjoying all of these.
Originally posted by Grampy BobbySure. But what are your favourite few ~ the ones with a special place in your sense of Christmas? Which three would you like to hear on a snow covered desert island with just one Christmas tree growing on it?
[b]"26 Popular Traditional Christmas Carols w/ Festive Art by Thomas Kinkade
An 80 minute collection of 26 much-beloved traditional Christmas carols, sung by a variety of well-known..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDNRZHynmvw I've been enjoying all of these.[/b]
22 Dec 14
Originally posted by FMFIs "Deck the Halls" a Carol?
Other hearty-hale-fellow-well-met type ones I like are "Deck the Halls", "Good King Wenceslas", "Ding Dong Merrily on High" and "We Three Kings of Orient are".
More of a Christmas Song isn't? Totally Pagan
and nothing to do with Christianity. (I like it!)
