11015 Favourite Carol

Actually, there is one Carol I'm quite fond of. I'll leave you to work out which one it is. :winki:

[quote=Nielo;103780]My Favourite Christmas Carol of all time is Oh Holy Night sung by Lauritz Melchior. I have an ancient vinyl record but no means of playing it now.

I can’t even find it on youtube but OH is a whiz and I have high hopes of a CD for Christmas this year, Don’t know if it will be the same without all the crackles and pops!

Here are the words

Oh Holy Night
Oh holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the wise men from Orient land
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend.
Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

What is your favourite Christmas Carol?[/quote]

It may not be the version you had/have Nielo - sorry! But here is the only version I have, and have loved for maybe 45 years....[I][B]timeless![/B][/I]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0inp9eRMovM"]>O Holy Night-Johnny Mathis<[/ame]

Just noticed these on You Tube too... What better - a choice!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jr-2eyRtV4"]>Celine Dion<[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ-8jYpa1-o"]>Celtic Woman<[/ame]

I also love "Oh Holy Night", but in its French version: "Cantique de Noël".
To keep everyone happy, here we have Pavarotti singing the two versions. Enjoy!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EbQYYaGdoM&feature=related]YouTube - Luciano Pavarotti - O Holy Night[/ame]

Up here in the Alps the music is frequently sung, in harmony, by small groups of children, elderly, in fact people of any age group who rarely need any excuse to harmonise.
But perhaps the most famous and often the most supported are the 'veterans' Alpini Choirs - made up from thier associations which can often be found in even the smallest villages.
[IMG]http://www.comandosupremo.com/forum/download/file.php?avatar=852.jpg[/IMG]
This - 'The Montanara' (the highlander or mountain dweller) is my favourite. Though not a 'carol' as such, it is often sung at their Christmas concerts and at village gatherings for the Christmas season - and it always brings a tear to my eye!

I hope you enjoy it too...
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eBDmMsGp-A"]>La Montanara<[/ame]

Thank you Carole, really beautiful. I had heard it before, but I did not know exactly which song it was and its title.

Further to my message for Carole and although it is not a Christmas song, here is one of the hyms from the Alpini which is very poignant. They used to sing it during World War I and I learnt it as a child as the grandmother of two of my closest friends was from Piemonte and she taught us the song. The Alpini sing beautifully "a capella". Enjoy!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA3glhTgeOY&feature=related]YouTube - SUL CAPPELLO CHE NOI PORTIAMO[/ame]

Thank you Carole.

The reason I particularly love the Lauritz Melchior version is because of the passion with which he sings and his glorious accent.

Silent Night is my favourite Christmas Carol.

Another favourite, "Adeste Fideles" particularly when it is sung at Midnight Mass:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u3RvSRR-Eg&feature=related]YouTube - Adeste Fideles--Andrea Bocelli[/ame]

And this is superb: "Mille cherubini in coro" (Schubert's Wiegenlied" also sang by Andrea Bocelli and do not miss the final scenes with Bocelli celebrating Christmas with his own family in Tuscany. Enjoy!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLxmyn4UFJk&feature=related]YouTube - Andrea Bocelli - MILLE EHERUBINI IN CORO Schubert[/ame]

Mille cherubini in coro
ti sorridono dal ciel.
Una dolce canzone
t'accarezza il crin
Una man ti guida lieve
fra le nuvole d'or,
sognando e vegliando
su te, mio tesor,
proteggendo il tuo cammin...

Do you have the full lyrics? I would love to have them and I am sure that many others will also appreciate them. Thanks.

Dormi, dormi,
sogna, piccolo amor mio.
Dormi, sogna,
posa il capo sul mio cor.

Mille cherubini in coro
ti sorridono dal ciel.
Una dolce canzone
t'accarezza il crin.
Una man ti guida lieve
fro le nuvole d'or,
sognando e vegliando
su te, mio tesor,
proteggendo il tuo cammin.

Dormi, dormi,
sogna, piccolo amor mio.
Dormi, sogna,
posa il capo sul mio cor.

Chiudi gli occhi,
ascolta gli angioletti,
dormi, dormi,
sogna, piccolo amor.

Chiudi gli occhi,
ascolta gli angioletti,

dormi, dormi,
sogna, piccolo amor.

Sogna, piccolo amor.

[B]Translation[/B]

Sleep, Sleep,
dream, my little love.
Sleep, dream,
rest your head on my breast.

A choir of a thousand cherubs
smiles on you from the sky.
A sweet song
caresses your brow.
A hand is gently guiding you
through the clouds of gold,
dreaming and keeping watch
over you, my treasure,
protecting your path through life.

Sleep, sleep,
dream my little love.
Sleep, dream,
rest your head on my breast.

Close your eyes,
listen to the little angels.
Sleep, sleep,
dream, my little love.

Close your eyes,
listen to the little angels,

sleep, sleep,
dream, my little love.

Dream, my little love.

I have just discovered this thread and I love it. O Holy Night is also my favourite carol and I adore carol concerts in December, whether by superb choirs or local singers. Does anyone know if there are any Christmas concerts in the La Spezia area? We'll only be there a few days in Dec but it would be wonderful to go to one.
thanks
pam

Here is some information about concerts in La Spezia:

[url=http://www.sdclaspezia.it/home.asp]S D C L A S P E Z I A[/url]

I think that the one on the 22nd of December sounds very promising.

It does sound promising. Unfortunately we will be back in England then. Maybe another year......

This is one of my favourita Christmas Carols, and in Italian from the Vatican.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92c84dslJ3k&feature=related]YouTube - Alex Baroni - Tu scendi dalle stelle [Live][/ame]

Amendment - equal to O Holy Night has to be In The Bleak Mid Winter with the really beautiful alternative tune that I cant remember the name of.