Once Upon a Cold Winter's Night - A Caroler's Re-Telling of the Christmas Story Using Classic Carols
63"O Holy Night" - Luciano Pavarotti & Placido Domingo
About O Holy Night
Sung here by Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo, "O Holy Night" originally written in 1847 as a poem, was written by a french wine merchant, Placide Cappeau at the request of his parish priest. Written in Cappeau's native French, the poem was called "Minuit Chrétiens" Upon its completion, Cappeau thought that it would be better set to music, and asked his friend, composer, Adolphe Charles Adams, who was best known for writing the music for the ballet "Giselle" if he would set the score. "O Holy Night" was first performed in Roquemaure, France during the worship service on Christmas Eve, 1847.
Known as "Cantique de Noël" in French, "O Holy Night" was later translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight.
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
About "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
This performance, in December of 2009, is by the world famous, Mormon Tabernacle Choir
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" was written in 1868 by Episcopal priest, Phillips Brooks, Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, who was inspired by his visit to the Holy City three years prior.
The musical arrangement most often used in the United States for this carol, was composed by the parish organist, Lewis Redner, and was originally called "St. Louis."
"Away in a Manger" - The River Dance Company
About "Away in a Manger"
This version of "Away in a Manger" is from 2006 spring production of "Deliver Us" featuring The Beautiful Feet Class, of the River Dance Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States.
First published in 1887, under the title "Luther's Cradle Hymn, " a name given to it by James R. Murray in his "Dainty Songs for Little Lads and Lasses," no one knows who wrote the first two verses of "Away in a Manger." The third verse is said to have been added in an 1892 collection of children's songs and verse entitled, "Gabriel's Vineyard Songs," which was compiled and edited by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel."
There is no universally accepted melody for this song. It has in fact, been scored to over forty different tunes, the most popular of these in the United States is the one that is found in the "Little Children's Book for Schools and Families" published in 1885 by the General Council for the Evangelical Lutheran Church, where it is set to a tune that is accredited to J.E. Clark and called "St. Kilda."
"Stille Nacht" (Silent Night) the St. Thomas Boy's Choir
About "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht" (Silent Night, Holy Night)
Performed in its original German, by the St. Thomas boys Choir, (Leipzig Thomanerchor).
Sometimes said to be the most well known of all Christmas carols, it was originally written in 1816 by Father Joseph Mohr, a priest in Oberndorf bei Slazburg, Austria, and first performed in the Nickolaus-Kirche, (Church of St. Nicholas), on Christmas Eve 1818.
In 1859, John Freeman Young, The second Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, translated the song into the English version that is most frequently sung today.
The song has been translated into over forty languages and is so popular, that during the 1914 World War I Christmas Truce, it was simultaneously sung by the troops in French, English, and German, because it was one of the few carols that was known on both sides of the front line.
"It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" - Bing Crosby
About "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"
Sung here by Bing Crosby, from the "The Complete Decca Christmas Songbook, Bing Crosby- The Voice of Christmas"
Written by Edmund Hamilton Sears, the Pastor of the Unitarian Church, Wayland Massachusetts, and published in the "Christian Register," on December 29, 1849, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" was first sung at the Unitarian Church's Sunday School Christmas celebration of 1849.
The music most widely used in the United States for this song, was composed by American musician, Richard Storrs Willis, in 1850 and is called "Carol." There is a second arrangement, adapted from an English melody, by Arthur Sullivan in 1874, called "Noel," Which is the usual accompaniment in the United Kingdom.
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing" - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
About "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"
This rendition of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" was recorded on December 21, 2009.
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing," which is regarded as one of the Great Four Anglican Hymns, was written by Charles Wesley, and published in 1739, in his volume called, "Hymns and Sacred Poems."
The original tune for this hymn was a slow and solemn one, until 1855, when English musician, William H. Cummings, adapted Felix Mendelssohn's cantata, "Festgesand an die Künstler, (second movement, Vaterland in deinem Gauen), to fit the lyrics of the song.
The Harry Simeone Chorale - "Do You Hear What I Hear?
About "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
This version is the recording of the original version performed by the Harry Simeone Chorale, which when released shortly after Thanksgiving in 1962, sold more than a quarter-million copies during its first Christmas season.
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" was written and composed, in 1962, during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, by the husband and wife team of songwriters, Noel Regeney and Gloria Shayne Baker, as a plea for peace.
O Come All Ye Faithful - King's College Cambridge
About "O Come All Ye Faithful?"
Performed by the Kings College Choir, Cambridge, 2008.
Originally written in 1743, in Latin, by John F. Wade, and called "Adeste Fideles," its use was intended to be for a hymn.
Verses 1-3 and 6 were translated from Latin to English in 1841 by an English Roman Catholic Priest, Frederick Oakeley. Verses 4 and 5 were translated to English by William T. Brooke.
The Englishman, John Reading, who is also called John of Reading, is said to have composed the music called "O Come All Ye Faithful" in the early 1700's.
The earliest existing manuscript that shows both words and tune of the song is in "Cantus Diversi" a collection published by John Reading in 1751. It was published again in the 1760 edition of "Evening Office of the Church," and in Samuel Webbe's 1782, "An Essay on the Church Plain Chant."
What Child is This? Performed by Charlotte Church
About "What Child is This?
"This version of "What Child is This?" is a live performance by international phenomenon, Charlotte Church.
"What Child is This?" is three stanzas that were taken from the larger work, "The Manger Throne" written in 1865 by a then twenty-nine year old, poet and lay theologian, William Chatterton Dix, as he recuperated from a sudden and life threatening illness.
"Greensleeves" which is the tune for this song, is an English folk song that dates back to the sixteenth century, and is sometimes mistakenly accredited to King Henry the VIII of England.
"What Child is This?" was first used as a hymn text in Sir John Stainer's "Christmas Carols New and Old" which was published in 1871.
Go Tell It on the Mountain - The Ceadermont Kids
About "Go Tell It On The Mountain"
This version of "Go Tell it on the Mountain" was recorded by the children's choir, Cedarmont Kids.
"Go Tell It on the Mountain," is an African-American spiritual song that dates back to at least the year 1865, and first appeared in, "Folk Song of the American Negro," a work compiled by John Wesley Work, Jr. and published in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1907.
"We Three Kings" - Cedarmont Kids
About "We Three Kings of Orient are"
This version of "We Three Kings" is performed by the children's choir, Cedarmont Kids.
"We Three Kings of Orient are" is an American Christmas carol, written in 1857 by the ordained Episcopal priest, John Henry Hopkins, Jr., for the General Theological Seminary, as part of the students yearly Christmas pageant. Hopkins, who was the schools musical director before his ordination in 1872, also wrote the music.
Though written in 1857, the song did not appear in print until 1863, when it appeared for the first time in Hopkins own Carols, Hymns and Songs."
"King Herod And The Cock"- Belshazzar's Feast
About "King Herod and the Cock"
Performed by Belshazzsar's Feast, on February 6, 2010, at the a concert in support of the Winchester Live at Home Scheme, United Church, Winchester.
Belshazzar's Feast is, Paul Sartin; Fiddle and vocals, and Paul Hutchinson; Accordian
"King Herod and the Cock," is a traditional folk song, and although the story that they tell is complete, they are cut out of a much longer carol, "The Carnal and the Crane," which consists of thirty stanzas.
The music is a form of the well known tune, "Dives and Lazarus."
"The First Noel" - Gregorian
About "The First Noel"
This version of "The First Nöel" is by Gregorian.
The origin of "The First Nöel" is unknown. Because of the spelling of the word Nöel, there is a widespread misconception that the carol is of French origin, but it is actually thought to date back to about the sixteenth century, England.
"The First Nöel" was first published in 1823 in "Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern," a collection of seasonal carols gathered by William B. Sandys.
"Coventry Carol" - The Westminster Cathedral Choir
About "Coventry Carol"
This performance of the "Coventry Carol" was in 2008, by the Westminster Cathedral Choir.
This carol is named after the city of Coventry, England, where the Shearmen and Tailors Pageant covered the Nativity from the Annunciation to the Massacre of the Innocents by the unwilling soldiers of the jealous King Herod, as he attempted to eliminate his competition, the newborn King of the Jews. In the pageant, this lullaby is crooned to the babies by their desperate mothers, to try and make them be quiet and still, lest they be found out by Herod's men.
As one of the two plays to have survived the late medieval plays of which Coventry was a part, "Coventry Carol" has roots as far back as the fourteenth century, making it possibly one of the oldest of all existing carols.
"Joy to the World"- The Choirs of First Presbyterian Church, Davenport Iowa
About "Joy to the World"
This adaptation of "Joy to the World" was performed by the choirs of The First Presbyterian Church, Davenport, Iowa, United States, under the direction of, Steve R. Jobman, for the PBS production, "Sing We Now of Christmas: A Festival of Carols," and was produced by, Silver Oaks Communications.
"Joy to the World," was written by English hymn writer, Isaac Watts, not as a Christmas carol, but as a hymn that would glorify the triumphant second coming of Christ.
The musical arrangement was adapted and arranged from an older melody that is believed to have originated from Handel's "Messiah, " to fit Watts' lyrics by Lowell Mason, in 1836. Mr. Mason's arrangement is known as "Antioch."
As of the later part of the 20th century, "Joy to the World" remained the most published Christmas hymn in North America.
Once upon a cold winter's night
Many long winter nights ago,
A man named Joseph and his wife,
Traversed a dark and dusty road.
Sent forth from their home in Nazareth,
From the shores of Galilee
By order of Caesar Augustus,
Who had issued by decree
"That all the men in all the world
Should pay tax and homage to Rome,
And to ensure the correct accounting ,
Each man must return to his forefather's home. "
Which is how it came to pass, that on that
The stars are brightly shinning,
When Joseph of the house of David
And Mary who was wife
Upon cresting one last hill,
Surveyed quiet streets below,
To find they had reached their destination,
Not much further would they have to go.
At the sight of the ancient sheepherder's town
Whose name means " house of bread,"
Joseph, tired and relieved,
Took Mary's hand and said;
"Look my darling Mary ,
We've reached our journey's end !"
To which the thankful Mary did exclaim ,
How still we see thee lie,
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight."
Into the town of Bethlehem
Did Mary and Joseph go
Mary who was great with child
Upon a donkey rode.
Looking for a place
Where they could find a bed
Somewhere warm and safe
Where they could lay their heads,
But everywhere they went
On every door they knocked,
They found there was no room
That every door was locked.
For these travel weary strangers,
Where could Mary have her child?
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.
And so the story is told
This is how it came to be,
The first born son of Mary.
Wrapped in swaddling clothes,
Resting in the fresh cut hay,
In a humble stable,
The King of Kings did lay.
Not born in a royal palace
No earthly kingdom to call his own,
With only Joseph and his mother
Who were far away from home.
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and child
Holy infant, tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Not far outside of Bethlehem
In the fields dark and cold,
The shepherds spent their watch
Keeping sheep safe within the fold.
With only the glow of heaven's stars
To light the darkened sky
Night after night, they would patiently wait,
For the night to pass them by.
But on the night of baby Jesus birth
In the sky above, God's angel did appear
And as the brilliant light shone all around,
The shepherds shook with fear.
It came upon the midnight clear
That glorious song of old,
From Angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, Good will toward men
From heaven's all gracious king!
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled;
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o'er its babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.
To still the shepherd's quaking
These words did the Angel speak;
"Fear not that I appear this night
For I've come with joyful news
God your Heavenly Father
Has fulfilled his promise to you!
For in the city of Bethlehem
Is born this very night,
When you seek him you will find,
A baby wrapped in swaddling clothes
Lying in a manger's hay
This will be your sign,
You will know him in this way."
Hark the hearld angels sing
"Glory to the new born King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
And the glory of God surrounded them
As a multitude of Angels did sing
The music sweet and lovely
Throughout the night did ring.
Echoing from the sky above them
Across the shadows of the mountain peaks
Stirring the hearts and souls of the shepherds
Watching over their lambs and sheep.
The word of God the Father,
Now incarnate and brought to life.
They began to whisper and shout to each other
Of the miracle that night.
Said the night wind to the little lamb,
"Do you see what I see?
Way up in the sky little lamb?
Do you see what I see?
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite."
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
"Do you hear what I hear?
Ringing through the sky shepherd boy?
Do you hear what I hear?
A song, a song, high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea,
With a voice as big as the sea."
Then just as suddenly as they had appeared
So to, God's messengers were gone,
But the joy of the message they had brought
Continued to linger on.
As the light of heaven faded
Back into the darkness of the night
Still shinning within the shepherd's hearts
Filling them with goodness and light.
Each of them saying, one to another
From youngest to oldest, from the first to the last,
"Let us go now into Bethlehem
To see this miracle that has come to pass."
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Departing the fields, still dark with night
To Bethlehem they went in haste
For this was such important news
There was no time to waste.
To that lowly Bethlehem stable
By the light of the star were the shepherds led,
Here they found Joseph, Mary, and the child
Just as the Angel had said.
Awe struck and humbled
The shepherds told Mary their story,
Of all they'd seen and been told of her child,
Of the Angel and the glory.
What child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap lay sleeping?
Whom Angel's greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping.
This, This, is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe the Son of Mary.
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of Kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high
The virgin sings her lullaby. Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
When the shepherds had finished speaking
It came time for them to depart
Mary thanking them for coming,
Tucked all that they had said away in her heart.
The shepherds took their leave,
Having seen for themselves that it was true,
And they went back out into the field
To tend both ram and ewe,
Telling everyone that they encountered
Of the wondrous things which had taken place
Of the birth of the King of Kings,
Who had come to save the human race.
Over the hill and everywhere
Go tell it on the Mountain
That Jesus Christ is born!
Far to the east of Bethlehem
Where lived the three Magi
Who knew that the light of heaven
Rising in the northwest sky
Would herald the arrival of the Christ child,
Born to be the King of the Jews.
A star of wondrous brilliant light
Would come to share the news.
When at last did it appear
Lighting the sky with its holy glow
Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melichior, followed the star,
With haste did the Wise Men go.
We three kings of orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star.
O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light.
In Jerusalem there lived a King named Herod,
Sometimes called "Herod the Great"
News of the birth of Israel's King
Filled his heart with worry and hate.
He called upon his scholars
Asking each and every one of them;
"Where is this child to be born?"
Each and every one of them replied;
"My King, In Bethlehem."
King Herod had also learned
Of the visiting Wise Men three,
And secretly he sent word to them
"Please come and visit me."
There was a star in David's land,
In David's land appeared;
And in King Herod's chamber
So bright it did shine there.
The Wise Men they soon spied it,
And told the King a-nigh
That a Princely Babe was born that night,
No King shall e'er destroy.
"Be this true, my wise and learned friends
Go out into the town, and find this King of Kings
And when He has been found, then send back word,
So that I too gifts may bring."
So the Wise Men went back out
To follow the Holy Star's light,
Which led them to the very house
Where lived the child called Christ.
On bended knee before him
Their gifts to the baby did they present
But being warned in a dream,
No message to Herod was sent.
This star drew nigh to the northwest,
O'er Bethlehem, it took its rest,
And there it did, both stop and stay,
Right over the place, where Jesus lay
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
Then entered in those Wise Men three
Full rev'rently upon their knee
And offered there in His presence
Their gold, and myrrh, and frankincense.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
Angry King Herod sent his soliders
Into the sheepherder's town called Bethlehem,
Looking for the little King Emmanuel
Who'd been born the King of Men.
But God looking down upon the earth
Sent Joseph a dream with a warning,
So Joseph and Mary and the Babe
Were safely away by morning.
Jesus grew from child to man,
The Son of God by Name
And bore our sins upon the cross
Rising again on Easter day!
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully lullay.
O sisters, too how may we do,
For to preserve this day;
This poor Youngling for whom we sing,
By, by lully, lullay.
Herod the King, in his raging,
Charged he hast this day;
His men of might, in his own sight,
All children young, to slay.
The woe is me, poor Child for Thee,
And ever mourn and say;
For Thy parting, nor say nor sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Rejoice, Rejoice all ye who hear my tale
That has now come to its end,
At least until the glorious day
When Jesus shall come again.
So ends my story of how it came to be
That on one starlit cold winter night,
The King was born in Bethlehem
To bring us goodness and light.
Now remember you, in the holiday season
His birth on earth, I pray,
For Christ the King is the very reason
We celebrate Christmas Day!
Joy to the world, The Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
-Kristen Burns-Darling " Once Upon a Cold Winter's Night " ©December 2011 (all rights reserved)
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@WillStarr - Thank you as always, for the generosity of your time and comments, and best wishes to you and yours for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Kristen
Hello K. Some people write a Hub. You have produced a Christmas pageant worthy of a theater. Just wonderful. Thank you.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
@mckbirdbks - LOL! I was thinking about the Christmas pageants of my childhood when I wrote this one. Thank you so very much for the gift of your time and the generosity of your comments, they are, as always, most welcomed and deeply appreciated! I wish you and your family a most wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!
Kristen
Thank you for that wonderful hub. It reminds us of the real meaning of Christmas. Well done.
@christopheranton - Thank you for generosity of your time and your comments, they are welcomed and deeply appreciated. I wish you the most wonderful of Christmas' and a Happy and Blessed New Year!
Kristen
Wow love your hub...my favorite my Lord Jesus and his birth and all the beautiful christmad songs..simply beautiful...debbie
@Deborah Brooks - I was thinking about the Christmas Pageants of my childhood when I wrote this one, it really was a joy to write. Thank you so much for the generosity of your time and your comments they are both so very much welcomed and deeply appreciated.
Kristen
WillStarr Level 8 Commenter 5 months ago
Wonderful work! Voted way up and awesome.