Music post: Advent

[resonant]

In the Episcopal church, this is not the Christmas season. The Christmas season does not begin until Christmas Eve, and it lasts through the Twelve Days until Epiphany (January 6). The church I grew up in was such a stickler for this that they didn't have the church Christmas party until December 27 or so.

The season we're currently in is Advent, which has its own colors, its own mood, and, most importantly, its own music.



I don't want to be a crank, so I've reluctantly allowed the spouse and the kidlet to persuade me to put up the Christmas tree and bring out the Christmas music before St. Nicholas Day and generally to start celebrating Christmas before Christmas happens. But I always miss the Advent music.

And it's hard to find! Which means that a few of these recordings are not really my usual style. The St. Olaf "Lift Up Your Heads," for instance, is overdramatic with the brass, and there are far too many voices in the choir, and it wouldn't be in my favorites except that it is the only version of that hymn that I can find. And Judy Hauff's "Watchman, Tell Us" is lovely, but it's not Aberystwyth, the tune I grew up singing.

Alas. Anyway, here's Advent music for anyone who wants some.


All in one 60MB Zip

Ave Maria (Biebl) by Chanticleer (album unknown)

Cantata 140: Sleepers, Wake! (Bach) by the Rubert Shaw Chamber Singers from Songs of Faith and Inspiration

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus by Roger Wilcock and Scottish Festival Choir from Approaching Christmas

Comfort Ye My People/Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted (Handel) by English Baroque Soloists from Messiah

Convoy (Watchman, Tell Us Of the Night) by Judy Hauff, from Angels On the Wing

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence by Choir of King's College from Best Loved Hymns

Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates by St. Olaf Choir from What Child Is This?

Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band from Sing Lustily And With Good Courage

Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending (a more traditional choir-and-organ version, and thanks to domtheknight) by the Cambridge King's College Choir from Procession With Carols On Advent

O Come, O Come Emmanuel by Chapel of the Holy Nativity from In Bethlehem. (This hymn is usually kind of manly; I love this version because it's all women's voices.)

On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry by Roger Wilcock and St. Edmundsbury Cathedral Choir from Approaching Christmas

People, Look East by Ripon Cathedral Choir from Christmas Music. If you're not already familiar with this one, definitely grab it; it's a beautiful Eleanor Farjeon poem set to music. Birds, though you long have ceased to build, guard the nest that must be filled. Even the hour when wings are frozen God for fledging time has chosen. People, look east and sing today: Love, the bird, is on the way.

Savior of the Nations, Come by Valparaiso University Choir from The Lutheran Chorale (thanks to domtheknight)

The Angel Gabriel by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band from A Tapestry of Carols.

Comments

[nestra.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence", and I'd never sung it until a few years ago. I'm going to send you a couple of things (later). They may not be your style, but I'll give it a try.

[somniesperus.livejournal.com]

Oh, how wonderful! Thank you :)

[penwiper26.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Grabbed "O Come O Come Immanuel," "People, Look East," "Convoy," "Comfort Ye," and "Sleepers Wake," my most favoritest Bach ever.

I love Advent best of all the seasons, though I love them all well.

[souliesoul.livejournal.com]

I grabbed the zip, thanks :)

[fleurrochard]

Oh! So much music! *GLEE*
I'm downloading the zip file, thank you so much!

[blacksquirrel.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[lamardeuse.livejournal.com]

Yay! I love your holiday music. Downloading the zip file - thanks so much! :)

[sinsense.livejournal.com]

Oh! A fellow Episcopalian! I love the Advent season, more than any other part of the church year, and it is far too hard to find this music. I'm planning on downloading the zip, when sendspace is not being a jerk.

[vass]

*points to icon, smiling*

I was in a high Anglican church choir for two years, an eternity, something like that, ending Easter this year. Many of these works are familiar to me. (Did your episcopalian church refer to their music committee as the ministry of war? Did the music director grimly tell the choir "Let's convert them to their own religion" before starting the processional? Did you have Byrd and Tallis and Taverner?)

Aberystwyth, the tune I grew up singing.

Oh, the battles we had over that tune. K, our director, wanted to, gasp, speed it up a little. G, one of the Old Guard, who had a policy of showing up to register her complaints after each service, would repeatedly tell him that it's meant to be slower because it's a Welsh funeral hymn.

[norah.livejournal.com]

Thank you - I think I got most of my best Christmas music from you as well, last year, and we've been listening to it already :-).

I would never know how to find or select good choral stuff on my own, so I really appreciate this.

[ecaterin.livejournal.com]

Ooooooooooooooo Res! What a great christmas Advent present!!!! *DLs the zip!*

Thank you!!

I wandered over here via <lj user="alg">.

[anonymisty.livejournal.com]

In the Episcopal church, this is not the Christmas season...The season we're currently in is Advent, which has its own colors, its own mood, and, most importantly, its own music....I don't want to be a crank, so I've reluctantly allowed the spouse and the kidlet to persuade me to put up the Christmas tree and bring out the Christmas music before St. Nicholas Day and generally to start celebrating Christmas before Christmas happens.

*hee*! I drive my husband and son crazy because I won't put anyone except the animals in the Nativity scene until it's actually Christmas.

Wonderful songs! Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence has always been my favorite hymn.

[deborah-judge.livejournal.com]

Thanks, this is beautiful!

I heard a while ago a Sting version of 'The Angel Gabriel'. Very pretty. I don't have it, though.

[rinsbane.livejournal.com]

Snagging the zip. Thanks! Can't wait to take a listen.

[cardalia.livejournal.com]

I love it when people post music, so thank you!

[flambeau.livejournal.com]

Oh, nice! Thank you. I wish I could send you some Swedish advent hymns in return, but apparently I don't own any recordings, so I'll just sit here and hum to myself while I download.

[gelasius.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, Chanticleer. Demigods in tuxes, they are. :)

I'm snagging the zip file - and thanks! I needed some Advent music right about now.

[ngaio]

I am going to be a complete and utter pain (well at least I'm *honest*!) and ask if it's possible for you to upload the zip file to Megaupload (or somewhere else that's not UpFile or their deriatives)? Sendspace works for me only 50% of the time and right now it just ain't happening. Very obviously, feel free to say No!

[norwich36.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I love Advent music. I'm downloading a bunch of these.

[jennyagain.livejournal.com]

omg I LOVE YOU.

i'm a catholic who works retail, so while i try to stay in the advent season, work--and its abundance of christmas music--makes it hard. this will help greatly.

and, because it is the season of sharing, here is one of my favorite advent hymns: people look east (http://www.sendspace.com/file/he8yhp).

may this season of waiting find you well!

[jennyagain.livejournal.com]

... and apparently you already know about "people look east" because THERE IT IS IN YOUR ADVENT MIX. am doofus. but! at least it is another version for you.

::g::

thank you, again. SO MUCH!

[wychwood]

Snagged, thanks; I love Advent, and there's some really great music out there.

[beledibabe.livejournal.com]

Mille grazie, res!! I've grabbed the zip and tucked it under my plastic mac to enjoy this evening.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I won't have broadband again until Saturday, but I'll do it for you then. Does yousendit work for you? I so despise Megaupload because I don't want to look at allegedly hot women who are allegedly in my hometown.

[lovis.livejournal.com]

Uhh, music. Thank you.

And more Chanticleer... great.

I'm sorry if I'm being obnoxious but you don't by any chance have one of Chanticleer's songs in German? Like, 'Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen' or the ' In dulci iubilo'?