Unsung Christmas carols and other music

[mikehopf]

I once had a recording of Arthur Somervell's beautiful Christmas Cantata ( 1926).

I'd love to hear it again.

[JimL]

Ina Boyle composed a Christmas carol that she quoted in the finale of her violin concerto (although a case can be made that she based the principal theme of the first movement on a motive from that carol.)

[Christopher]

Apparently the quintessential Ukrainian Christmas carol is "Boh predvičnyj narodilsja" ("Eternal God Born Tonight"/"Бог предвічний народився").  It is here in an arrangement by Stanyslav Lyudkevych (1879-1979) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWhuJh5DGl0

From wikipedia:  Boh predvičnyj narodivsja" (from Ukrainian: Бог предвічний народився) is a Ukrainian Christmas carol, which is translated into English as "Eternal God Born Tonight" or sometimes "Pre-eternal God Was Born." It focuses on the incarnation in the story of the nativity. One of the most famous carols in Western Ukraine and the amongst the Ukrainian diaspora, it is customary to sing this carol before the traditional Twelve-dish Christmas Eve supper is served in many parts of the historic region of Galicia. It also sung in churches at the end of the Divine Liturgy from Christmas Day until Candlemas. "Boh predvičnyj narodilsja" is in the "Bohohlasnyk" - a Ukrainian anthology of pious songs, which was published in Pochayiv Monastery during the late eighteenth century. The poet Ivan Franko considered this the best of all Ukrainian church songs, calling it "a pearl among carols."   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boh_predvičnyj_narodilsja

[Alan Howe]

Very beautiful - but, remembering that carols are hymns of worship, we need to know what is being sung, so here are the words translated:

God eternal is born tonight.
He came down from above
To save us with his love
And he rejoiced.

He was born in Bethlehem,
Our Christ, Our Messiah,
The Lord of creation
was born here for us.

The tidings came through an angel,
Shepherds knew, then the Kings
The watchers of the skies
Then all creation.

When Christ was born of the Virgin,
A star stood where the Son,
And Mother, the most pure,
Were sheltered that night.

You three wise men, whither go you?
We go to Bethlehem,
Bearing peaceful greetings,
We shall then return.

Returning through, a new way they chose,
The malicious Herod,
The evil wicked one,
They wished to avoid.

Ring out the song: "Glory to God!"
Honour to the son of God,
Honour to our Lord,
And homage to him.

[eschiss1]

Re not being able to think of any French carols: maybe if you try to think of some "noëls", which is their usual name (... hrm, on second thought, I don't recognize the most famous ones either. I thought I would. Hrm!!) The Spanish ones are called villancicos, I believe.

[Gareth Vaughan]

"Quelle est cette odour agreable" - a beautiful French Carol I learned at school.

[TerraEpon]

Re not being able to think of any French carols: maybe if you try to think of some "noëls", which is their usual name (... hrm, on second thought, I don't recognize the most famous ones either. I thought I would. Hrm!!) The Spanish ones are called villancicos, I believe.

Obviously the opposite of unsung, but there's Adolphe Adam's 'Cantrique de Noel' -- in English it goes by the title 'O Holy Night'. Pretty crazy if you've never heard it.

[Christopher]

On this site - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christmas_carols - there is a list of the most popular carols in the following countries/languages:

1   American
2   Arabic
3   Catalan
4   Chinese
5   Croatian
6   Czech
7   Danish
8   Dutch
9   English
10   Filipino
11   Finnish
12   French
13   Galician
14   German
15   Greek
16   Hungarian
17   Irish
18   Italian
19   Latin
20   Norwegian
21   Occitan
22   Polish
23   Portuguese
24   Romanian
25   Scottish
26   Spanish
27   Swedish
28   Ugandan
29   Ukrainian
30   Welsh

[mikehopf]

Does Christopher or any other members know if there is a recording available of Lysenko's opera " Christmas Night"?

[Christopher]

There's a somewhat crackly recording here (1h43m) - https://classical-music-online.net/en/production/44100 - though on the whole I believe that's a website of which we don't normally approve.  It sounds like a recording from a radio broadcast. A present speaks for the first 6:40 minutes.

Anyway, as Alan would rightly say, back to unsung Christmas carols...

[mikehopf]

Thanks, Chris.  Actually,  I found quite a good recording on Youtube minus the crackles. Sparkling opera btw.
PS. Doesn't this work qualify as " other ( Christmas) music "?

[Mark Thomas]

Lysenko's opera "Christmas Eve" is here on YouTube.