First, my inner Anglican has to apologize—technically this final track is not a Christmas song but an Epiphany song. However, I’ve attempted to appease my Anglican spirit by pushing this to the very end of my series, looking forward to Epiphany as we say goodbye to Christmas.

Many of you are probably unfamiliar with this hymn, but you’re no doubt quite familiar with another carol written by the same author, William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898). It was he who gave us the classic “What Child Is This?” Interestingly, I read that he wrote many of his hymns confined to his bed as a young man with a near-fatal illness. “What Child Is This” came from that period. This song came from an even earlier period of illness, when he was only 22. Strange to think that we could have been brother and sister. It certainly goes to show how the quality of writing in the younger generation has declined down through the years. Just take a look at the last verse:

Holy Jesus, every day
Keep us in the narrow way.
And when earthly things are past,
Bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no star to guide,
Where no clouds thy glory hide.

You might recognize the melody. It was written a few decades before Dix by Konrad Kocher and is better known as the tune to “For the Beauty of the Earth.”
This recording by the Haven of Rest Quartet is the only professional “artist cut” of the hymn that I know of (i.e., besides faceless chorale singers). It’s very hard to find, so I put it onto my Youtube channel. The quality could be better, but the arrangement shines through despite the graininess. The album it comes from (Sounds of Christmas) is one of my all-time favorite Christmas records, and I think you’ll see why I consider this track essential. Trivia tidbit: Long-time member and arranger Walt Harrah sings the tenor solo. Harrah is the writer of the David Phelps sugar stick “No More Night.”
Enjoy, and thanks for coming along on this series with me!

It’s the penultimate day of our series, and I have saved the best for near-last! “O Holy Night” is quite possibly my favorite Christmas carol, but it’s hard to do it justice. On the one hand, it really needs the no-holds-barred, all stops pulled out treatment. On the other hand, singers with the technical  chops to get it done vocally are tempted to lapse into mere vocal showboating (paging Mariah Carey, Mariah Carey).

In my opinion, David Phelps’s version walks that fine line perfectly, resulting in a recording that is definitely a must for any Christmas collection. Anthony Burger on piano is certainly an added benefit. Without further ado, I present…
David Phelps’s “O Holy Night”

Mannheim Steamroller’s last entry in this series was their rockin’ “Good King Wenceslas.” But Mannheim Steamroller can do much more than just rock out. This closer from their debut album is far and away their best mellow cut. The background “oooohs” are clear and unpretentious behind the haunting opening bars on piano. Then around 2:00 is where the arrangement really transcends, at the entry of the violin. The rest is pure magic, with dry ice at the end to remind us that yes, this is still the 80s.

http://youtu.be/anv4FIQ4tbo&rel=0

Happy New Year Everybody! We are starting to wrap up (har-har) our Twelve Essential Tracks of Christmas, with yet a third men’s acappella entry. Clearly I am partial to men’s acappella singing! However, the styles of acappella have definitely not been the same. Day 1 was pop acappella in the tradition of the Nylons, Day 7 was classical acappella, and today I’m featuring jazz acappella. And when it comes to jazz acappella, critical consensus seems to be that all other groups must bow before Take 6. Now, I have to confess that I sometimes find their arrangements overly busy, which can distract from whatever song they’re performing. However, their rendition of “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” is tastefully simple and lush. There are still some frighteningly complex jazz chords in there, but the spirit of the carol is preserved with love. A must for any Christmas collection:

http://youtu.be/Uby81SEOBFA&rel=0

Minus the cloying lyrics, the melody of “Sleigh Ride” is allowed to soar free and take on a life of its own in this definitive arrangement by Arthur Fiedler. While the pitch-perfection of the studio track may be the absolute best take, I also love to watch the orchestra at work in this clip. John Williams conducting doesn’t hurt either! Enjoy. Oh yes, and Happy New Year!

Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops’ “Sleigh Ride”

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

For this selection, I was torn between two stirring acappella performances of the Michael Praetorious arrangement for this German carol. One is by an authentic Austrian quartet called Schnittpunktvokal:
The other is by the British quartet The King’s Singers. The startling purity of of David Hurley’s counter-tenor instantly leapt out and caught my attention in this version:
I couldn’t decide. So, naturally, I consulted Terry Franklin. Meanwhile, knowing that the German text has many variants and a bajillion verses to choose from, I compared rough translations of both texts used, which aren’t quite alike. Read on to find out which version I ultimately chose and why… (more…)

Note: I’ve noticed views are down for this series, possibly because it’s Christmas but possibly because readers might understandably feel like all they need is to find the song for themselves somewhere else. However, I’m going to be providing commentary and extra tidbits on some of these tracks, so pay attention! In particular, I’ll tease you with a promise of some performance analysis by Terry Franklin. On which day? You’ll have to wait and see.

When I first discovered that Matthew Ward had done this song, I did a happy dance. Truly, it’s difficult to do a bad version of such a great carol, but Ward does have a habit of putting lesser singers in the shade. 50-some at the time of this recording, his voice amazingly hasn’t aged a day. No further introduction is needed. Enjoy…
Matthew Ward’s “What Child is This”
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