December 24-25, 2009

Mosaic of the Journey to Bethlehem, Church of St. Saviour in Chora, Istanbul, 11th cent.

The Nativity of the Lord

4:00 pm: A Festival of Lessons and Carols
The Cathedral Singers

Voluntary: Quatrième suite de Noël [listen], Claude-Benigne Balbastre (1724-99)

Carols: Jesus comes [text], Donald James

O beatum et sacrosanctum diem [text] [Peiyang: YouTube], Peter Philips (1561-1628)

The Holy Son of God Most High (A Christmas Carol) [text], Peter Hurford (b. 1930)

The Blessed Son of God [text] [Winchester: YouTube] [Christ Church Oxford: NML](info); Canterbury Ohio:YouTube], Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

The Lamb [text] [King's Singers: listen; Sixteen: listen; 9 videos: YouTube], words by William Blake (1757-1827) and music by John Tavener (b. 1944)

There is no rose of such virtue [text] [Trinity Portland: NML](info), George Thalben-Ball (1896-87)

Susanni from Five Carols [text] [Musica Intima: NML](info), Richard Rodney Bennett (b. 1936)

Bogoróditse Djévo, [text] [King's Singers: listen; Friday's Voices: listen; Palissander: listen; 4 videos: YouTube], Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)

Ave Maria à 8 [text], [Resistencia: YouTube; Tallis Scholars: NML](info), Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611)

O magnum mysterium [text] [Los Angeles: listen; 5 videos: YouTube], Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943)

So said the angel [text], Peter Skellern (b. 1947)

Long the night [text], Ukrainian melody arr. Roy Massey

Hodie Christus Natus Est [ text] [Amici Cantatores: listen] [Calhoun: YouTube] [Dresdener Kreuzchor: YouTube], Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621)

Voluntary: Vom Himmel hoch [listen], Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706)


Lorenzo Costa, Nativity, Musée des beaux-arts, Lyon

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth (NRSV, John 1:14).

11:00 pm: Procession, Blessing of the Crib & Choral Eucharist
The Cathedral Singers

Prelude: 18th century Noëls [listen], Claude-Benigne Balbastre (1724-99), Jean-François Dandrieu (1682-1738), Louis-Claude Daquin (1694-1772) et al

Introit: Venez, divin Messie [text] [Jobin: YouTube], French 16th cent.

Mass Setting: Messe de Minuit pour Noël [listen], Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1634-1704)

Motets: All my heart this night rejoices [text] [JBU: YouTube], Johann Ebeling (1620[37]- 1666[76]);

O come, little children [text] [Grand View: YouTube], Johann Peter Schultz (1747-1800);

In the bleak midwinter [text] [8 videos: YouTube], Gustav Holst (1874-1934)

Postlude: From heaven high to earth I come [listen], Garth Edmundson (1900-71)


Jacopo Bassano, Annunciation to the shepherds, Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire, 1533

Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified [NRSV, Luke 2:9].

Nativity of the Lord I [Comments]

10:00 am Choral Eucharist
The Cathedral Trebles

Prelude: Noël en musette [Bordon: YouTube], Louis-Claude Daquin (1694-1772)

Introit: Sussex Carol [text] [7 videos: YouTube], arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Mass Setting: Carol Mass, Rupert Lang (b. 1948)

Motet: Love came down at Christmas [text] [King's: YouTube], R. O. Morris (1886-1948)

Postlude: Noël suisse [Tompkins: listen], Louis-Claude Daquin