Holly Ding

Doc Watson
Here is a CD for lovers of honest old-time music that's down to earth. The old-time banjo playing, fiddling, and plaintive, down-to-earth singing will certainly be a pleasure for lovers of old-time music to listen to.

Product Description
Collectively they have been referred to as “three powerful musicians,” “masters of southern traditional music,” “triple threat,” “sublime combination,” “soulful, highly skilled musicians,” and “as well known as the Three Tenors are in the opera world.” Individually, Tom Sauber, Brad Leftwich, and Alice Gerrard are each recognized and respected as powerful musicians whose influence has been felt on a generation of younger musicians, and whose effect on the wider world of traditional music and culture has been far reaching.

Like their well-received debut of last year, “Holly Ding” is a masterful collection of rural music from a broad array of sources including old-time string band pieces, classic country a la Hank Williams, traditional gospel, ballads, and even an original by Alice. With all three musicians being adept on a variety of instruments, a great diversity of musical combinations abounds. Everything from straight guitar, banjo, and fiddle playing to twin fiddles, twin banjos, to unaccompanied ballads with no music at all can be found here. It is a rich tapestry of the best that rural music has to offer.

Holly Ding

Tracks:

Hark! the herald angels sing
The first Nowell
While Shepherds Watched
I Saw Three Ships
Ding, Dong! Merrily On High
King Jesus Hath A Garden
In Dulci Jubilo
Unto Us Is Born A Son
O Come All Ye Faithful
Away in a manger
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
The Holly And The Ivy
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
See Amid The Winter's Snow
Past Three O'clock

Tracks:

Once In Royal David's City
The Sussex Carol
Rocking
Rejoice And Be Merry
Joseph Was An Old Man
The Three Kings
As With Gladness Men Of Old
A Great And Mighty Wonder
The Infant King
Balulalow
The Crown Of Roses
Christ Was Born On Christmas Day
Blessed Be That Maid Mary
Lute-book lullaby
Myn Lyking
Personent Hodie
In the bleak mid-winter
Coventry Carol
Shepherd In The Field Abiding
Torches
Fantasia On Christmas Carols

Customer Reviews:

Christmas Carols at there best.......2005-10-18

It does not get any better. This 2 cd set is outstanding.
As one reviewer notes the second disk has many carols not heard by most people in the USA. I heard them growing up, but most are hard to find on an album.

Christmas is not Christmas without King's College Choir singing carols.

A great collection... :)

Nice Christmas CD.......2004-01-10

In my haste for looking for some traditional and exuberant Christmas music, and in my blinding affinity for all things "King's", I purchased this cd. It is a nice compelation, although I, and I daresay many Americans, am not very familiar at all with most of the hymns/carols on the 2nd cd. Morever, I found most of the music lacking in pomp and circumstance. Of course, now, I understand that is not what this cd set is for. If you want big sound and more familiar tunes, try something else.

The Best Christmas CD Ever.......1999-12-19

If you are seeking a CD of traditional Christmas music to help you 1) focus on the true meaning of the holiday and 2)draw near to God, this is it. The choral arrangements are alternately beautiful and powerful, delicate and majestic. There is a rich heritage of European carols which 99% of Americans know nothing of. Broaden your horizons with this disc. You won't regret it.

A masterpiece........1999-01-04

David Willcocks has produced, without question, the most elegant and dignified collection of Christmas choral music available. This CD is a masterpiece.

You need one traditional Xmas cd - this is it........1998-11-30

Yes, most of the stuff was originally recorded in the 50's and 60's and it's not going to win prizes for signal to noise ratio. However, if you, like me break out in a sweat hunting for a xmas cd which won't contain some desperate wannabe modernised rehash of carols or a "listen to me aren't I a good tenor/diva and by the way here are some carols?" tracks, then this is your album.

Tracks:

Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful) - Luciano Pavarotti/London Voices
Silent Night (Stille Nacht) - The Bach Choir/Sir David Willcocks
Ave Maria - Leontyne Price
Once In Royal David's City - Robin Barter/David Briggs/The Choir Of Kings College, Cambridge/Stephen Cleobury
Ding Dong! Merrily On High - The Choir Of King's College, Cambridge/Stephen Cleobury
Joy To The World - Joan Sutherland
Good King Wenceslas - Simon Keenlyside/Richard Suart/Stephen Cleobury/The Choir Of St John's College, Cambridge...
Wiegenlied (Brahms' Lullaby) - Renata Tebaldi
In Dulce Jubilo - The Choir Of King's College, Cambridge/Sir David Willcocks
Christmas Oratorio: Pastoral Sinfonia - Stuttgarter Kammerorchester/Karl Munchinger
Messiah: For Unto Us A Child Is Born - Chicago Symphony Chorus And Orchestra/Sir Georg Solti
Ave Maria - Kiri Te Kanawa
L'Enfance Du Christ: Shepherds' Farewell - St Anthony Singers
Mille Cherubini In Coro - Luciano Pavarotti
See Amid The Winter's Snow - Simon Preston/The Choir Of King's College, Cambridge/Sir David Willcocks
What Child Is This? - Anthony Way/Tom Finucane/John Scott
The First Nowell - David Briggs/The Choir Of King's College, Cambridge/Stephen Cleobury
O Tannenbaum - Leontyne Price
While Shepherds Watched - Simon Preston/The Choir Of King's College, Cambridge/Sir David Willcocks
Away In A Manger - Anthony Way/The Choir Of St Paul's Cathedral/John Scott
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - John Scott/James Blades/David Corkhill

Tracks:

Deck The Hall - Joan Sutherland/The Ambrosian Singers
The Holly And The Ivy - Jonathan Lamb/Christopher Hughes/Simon Haynes/Roland Robertson/The Choir Of King's College...
Panis Angelicus - Luciano Pavarotti/Wandsworth Boys Choir
In The Bleak Midwinter - Anthony Way/The Choir Of St Paul's Cathedral
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - John Scott/James Blades/David Corkhill
German Dance No.3, K.605: Sleigh Ride - Wiener Mozart Ensemble/Willi Boskovsky
The Twelve Days Of Christmas - Joan Sutherland/The Ambrosian Singers
Shepherds In The Fields Abiding - The Choir Of King's College, Cambridge/Sir David Willcocks
Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle - Renata Tebaldi
I Saw Three Ships - Mark Tinkler/William Kendall/The Choir Of St. John's College, Cambridge/George Guest
O Holy Night - Leontyne Price
O Little Town Of Bethlehem - David Briggs/The Choir Of King's College, Cambridge/Stephen Cleobury
Gesu Bambino - Luciano Pavarotti/Wandsworth Boys' Choir
Rocking - The Choir Of King's College, Cambridge/Sir David Willcocks
The Virgin's Slumber Song - Joan Sutherland
Child In A Manger - The Choir And Orchestra Of Clare College, Cambridge/John Rutter
Hosanna In Excelsis - Placido Domingo/James Lancelot/Winchester Cathedral Choir
The Nutcracker: Waltz Of The Snowflakes - Members Of The Finchley Children's Music Group
White Christmas - Kiri Te Kanawa/London Voices
The Skaters' Waltz - National Philharmonic Orchestra/Douglas Gamley
Mary's Boy Child - Kiri Te Kanawa/London Voices

Customer Reviews:

A Christmas celebration for Classical Music Lovers only.......2002-11-06

The cover of this 2 disc set features half a dozen of the great voices of our time: Pavarotti, Domingo, Joan Sutherland, Renata Tebaldi, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Leontyne Price. However, selections by these soloists comprise only 2/5 of the set, the rest being choral and orchestral works.

Nor are these fabulous voices given equal representation. Pavarotti and my personal favorite, Joan Sutherland, have four songs apiece; Price and Kanawa have three apiece; Renata Tebaldi two and only one for Placido Domingo.

However, this is basically a very good collection. The first disc is a bit on the solemn side, while the second is brighter. Pavarotti leads off the entire collection with "Adeste Fideles" and returns later on the first disc with "Mille Cherubini in Coro". His renditions of "Panis Angelicus" and "Gesu Bambino" help grace the second CD.

Joan Sutherland brightens the first disc with her "Joy To The World" and then sets the lighter mood of the second disc with "Deck The Halls" and later returns with a sprightly "Twelve Days of Christmas". She also gives us the beautiful and tender "Virgin Slumber Song". Leontyne Price gives us Schubert's "Ave Maria", "O Tannenbaum" and "O Holy Night". Kiri Te Kanawa gives us Bach/Gounod's "Ave Maria", surprises us with "White Christmas" (a very beautiful & unique interpretation), and winds up the entire set with "Mary's Boy Child". Renata Tebaldi's contributions are Brahms' "Lullaby" and "Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle". Placido Domingo's sole appearance is with the dynamic "Hosanna in Excelsis" from Lloyd Weber's Requiem.

It is a splendid feast of vocal performances. However, the choral and orchestral selections have weak spots. I was especially disappointed in the Chicago Symphony & Chorus rendition of "For Unto Us a Child Is Born", and also thought that a good rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus would've worked better. The orchestral selections did have bright spots such as "Sleigh Ride" (Mozart's, not Leroy Anderson's), Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Snowflakes" from the Nutcracker, and the "Skater's Waltz".

All in all, this is a collection which belongs in your Christmas Classical collection, but can't be considered an absolute essential.

This may be a good album; the marketing ploy is shameless.......2001-11-15

I have not listened specifically to this edition, but I can tell you with near absolute certainty that this is a classic example of marketing at its most shameless. This is nothing more than a reissue of "The Greatest Christmas Show on Earth", but with a different title! (Something similar was done back in 1963, when the Harry Simeone Chorale's ever-popular 1958 LP, "Sing We Now of Christmas", was retitled and re-released as "The Little Drummer Boy"--its current CD title--, but at least the advertising there seemed slightly more honest.)

Everything on "The #1 Christmas Album" is exactly the same as on "The Greatest Christmas Show on Earth", right down to the order of the musical selections on the album. Only the cover design is different. Decca/London apparently believes that it can fool its customers into thinking that they are buying another album if they simply change the title. Of course, the album itself is reasonably good, though not on the level of most of my favorite Christmas albums, not even the now-deleted RCA Victor "Christmas Treasures", a collection culled from RCA Victor's Living Stereo series. The offense lies in the marketing gimmick,something I have never seen in all my years of avid CD buying. This is worse than all those "collections" which just rehash old material--at least each collection is a newly organized album.

Touch of angle, touch of heart.......2001-11-14

If you enjoy opera or choir, this is a must collection. The Choir of King's College probably knows the secret how to make the listener flying among thousands of Christmas candles. Pavarotti's opening is so mighty that remind people, this year, to be courageous and to believe (not limited from religious sense but the humanity perspective.) And his Mill Cherubini and Panis Angelicus can vibrate one's tear from the heart, reflecting to the tragedy and the war in 2001. As for the sopranos, this collection is a Jewel. Joan Sutherland's Deck The Hall and The Twelve Days of Christmas bring out the merry atmosphere of the season and cheer one's mood to celebrate. Also her Virgin's Slumber Song has so much beauty and grace . Kanawa's Ave Maria is so dramatic performed that perfectly drawn out the human's longing for love and protection. All the orchestra also have done a splendid job. The arrangement is perfect there is no dull moment from the beginning to the end.

Gabriel's Message: One Thousand Years of Carols

Average customer rating:

Best Christmas CD available
best christmas music-on one cd!
Beautiful angel voices

Gabriel's Message: One Thousand Years of Carols

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

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General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

$7 - $10 | Today's Deals | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

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4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
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Songs of Angels - Christmas Hymns and Carols
The Best Carols in the World...Ever!
The Mystery of Christmas
Christmas with the Academy
O Come All Ye Faithful: Christmas Carols at King's College, Cambridge

ASIN: B00002EPSM
Release Date: 1999-10-26

Tracks:

Once In Royal David'S City
In The Bleak Midwinter
In Dulci Jubilo
Away In A Manger
Coventry Carol
Good King Wenceslas
The Truth Sent From Above
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Gabriel'S Message
The Holly & The Ivy
O Come All Ye Faithful
King Jesus Hath A Garden
Silent Night
Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
Jesus Christ The Apple Tree
What Sweeter Music
Ding-Dong Merrily On High
A Hymn To The Virgin
God Is With Us
Hark The Herald Angels Sing

Customer Reviews:

Best Christmas CD available.......2003-12-29

This enthralling CD is the best one out there. The arrangements and performances are top-notch. I only wonder why Naxos has chosen to make all the performances anonymous with its lack of liner notes. Only by going to the Naxos website can you find who is performing what. Among the choirs you will hear on this beautiful CD are the Worcester Cathedral Choir (4 numbers), the Elora Festival Singers (10 numbers) and the Tewkesbury Abbey Choir (6 numbers). If you only have one Christmas CD, this is the one to have.

best christmas music-on one cd!.......2003-07-27

I am a christmas music fanatic. On this cd there are all, plus more, of the songs that I love. It starts with "once in royal david's city",thats sung by a choir and a treble. All the solos on this cd are absolutely amazing. Whether it is by a treble or a man chorister. All the emotions for the songs are right on. Most are sung by the cathedral or abbey choirs. Thats the only thing that bothers me, they don't give you any information on the performers. But I recognize a lot of them. I think Trinity is also on it. but really-its just beautifull. I have no words for it. The price isn't much, if you love christmas music buy it!

Beautiful angel voices.......2002-12-11

I played this at work and EVERY person that passed my desk wanted to know what, who and where. By far one of the most moving collections of Christmas music I have ever heard and I have a collection of over a hundred Christmas Albums and CDs.

Average customer rating:

Uneven, though heavenly sound
An Outstanding Holiday Recording
I love it
Magnificent
few compare

Christmas with the Academy

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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O Come All Ye Faithful: Christmas Carols at King's College, Cambridge
Carols from Trinity
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A Festival of Carols in Brass

ASIN: B00000418V
Release Date: 1994-11-15

Tracks:

Church Bells: Past Three A Clock
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Ding Dong! Merrily On High
In The Bleak Midwinter
Christmas Oratorio: Sinfonia
Once In Royal David's City
Sussex Carol
Quelle Est Cette Odeur Agreable?
Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant
L'enfance Du Christ: L'adieu Des Bergers A La Sainte Famille
L'enfance Du Christ: Le Repos De La Sainte Famille
Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen
Stille Nacht
Still, Still, Still
Singt Und Klingt
The Holly And The Ivy
The Three Kings
Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day
Away In A Manger
Christmas Song (Personent Hodie)
In Dulci Jubilo
Jesus Christ The Apple Tree
Hark! The Herald-Angels Sing: Church Bells

Customer Reviews:

Uneven, though heavenly sound.......2005-12-22

I am enjoying this CD, however I must continually adjust the sound level. Some selections are recorded quite low and some are quite loud. I am constantly reaching for the volume.

An Outstanding Holiday Recording.......2005-11-19

In 1994 I worked at a music store where I was considered "the classical music expert." How did I earn this distinguished honor you may ask? Well, I had music lessons as a child, had a somewhat good knowledge of classical music as a hobbyist (I am a die hard opera buff and love the symphonic repertoire too), and I was the oldest sales person in the store. I was in my early thirties but most of the other employees were either in or recent graduates of high school. Since I could answer a few basic questions, I was the expert. I was also the jazz expert, movie sound track expert, easy listening expert, and vocals expert. If my life depended on my expertise of these areas, I wouldn't be writing this review right now, but that's another story.

The manager asked me to select some Christmas CD's for the store and in the catalogue, I saw that there would be a new release by The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Sir Neville Marriner's direction. I had not heard the disc and we did not have a sample, but I had a hunch it would be well received and since the store catered to customers who loved good music, I figured that the recording would be well received. I remember when it arrived and we put it on the store stereo. From the church bells at the beginning to the first simple tunes of the disc, I knew this would be a great collection of holiday music. Customers agreed. It received airtime on the local classical station and we could not keep it in stock.

Since that time CHRISTMAS WITH THE ACADEMY has been a staple in my Christmas collection. It has three major strengths. First, the wonderful orchestra and beautiful chorus of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the direction of founder Sir Neville Marriner. Second, there is a variety of carols and traditional holiday music. We hear tracks we would expect from an English ensemble, but we also hear those wonderful melodies that when performed well add so much to this season. Third would be the overall excellence of this recording. This great ensemble has produced excellent music over the years and this collection is simply another example of its quality.

I loved the recording when it was new, but now it has become a classic. For anyone who loves good holiday music that is performed well and has the spiritual quality that is so much a part of the season, this is a disc you will love.

I love it.......2004-12-15

This is excellent Christmas music. Of the choir Christmas music I have heard, I think this is great because there seems to be such a great balance between the male and female singers. Its exactly how I'd want Christmas carolers to sound. If you like how the music previews sound then you will like this cd.

Magnificent.......2003-11-29

If I could only have one Christmas CD, this would be my choice. The harmonies are exquisite. The instrumentals are beautiful. There are several a cappella sections, which I love. This Christmas concert is a masterpiece. It is one of the few CD's with enough presence to evoke the feeling of "being there". I feel as though I'm sitting in a church, listening to the most wondrous choir.

This 60 minute CD was recorded digitally [DDD], so I had no concern about the quality of remastering. I found the CD audio quality to be very acceptable. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves choral Christmas music.

few compare.......2001-11-23

Few Christmas music CD's can compare to this entry by Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. As the previous reviewer notes, there is nothing startlingly new or insightful about this program--but its sheer excellence sets it apart.

From the opening bells to the shattering conclusion of "Hark! the Herald Angel Sing," the listener encounters the kind of great music Marriner is known for. This stuff is precise though not dry, clean though not clinical. It is like seeing a beautiful painting in perfect clarity after having had it shrouded in a fog for years.

The soul of these songs are clarified by the interpretations they receive here. The joy they proclaim to the world can be palpably felt by the listener. My personal favorites here are: "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing," "Il Est né, le divin enfant," and "Away in a Manger."

You need look no further if you want some great music to listen to and contemplate during this or any other holiday season. This is a great disc.

Tracks:

King Jesus Hath A Garden
Up! Good Christian Folk, And Listen
Gabriel's Message
Donkey Carol
Wexford Carol
Cradle Song
Child In A Manger
Mary's Lullaby
Ding! Dong! Merrily On High
Quelle est cette odeur agreable?
I Saw A Maiden
In dulci jubilo
In The Bleak Mid-Winter
I Saw Three Ships
The Noble Stem Of Jesse
The Crown Of Roses
Jesus Christ The Apple Tree
Omnis mundus jocundetur
Wassail Song
The Holly And The Ivy

Amazon.com

Initially released in 1979, this album built on the success of the legendary Carols for Choirs volumes in establishing John Rutter's name with the wider public, and it gave a strong hint that he was more than just a talented composer-arranger. As the many subsequent releases on the Collegium label have also shown, Rutter is a deeply sensitive and musical conductor, alive to the color of words, always allowing phrases to breathe naturally. The accomplished Clare College Choir features male and female voices, the latter providing a more rounded alternative to those world-famous neighbors in Cambridge. Included are many of Rutter's own easy-listening carol arrangements ("King Jesus Hath a Garden" and "Wexford Carol," for example), plus others by the likes of Vaughan Williams and David Willcocks, while "Donkey Carol" and "Mary's Lullaby" are quintessential Rutter originals. Only a few numbers can be classed (statistically) as all-time Christmas faves--the likes of "The Holly and the Ivy" and "Ding Dong Merrily on High"--but this needn't deter anyone from snapping up what is the perfect album to accompany Christmas pud mixing (preferably by candlelight, imagining the twilight scene in Ely Cathedral's Lady Chapel, whose glorious acoustic graces the sound). --Andrew Green

Customer Reviews:

Simply gorgeous.......2007-04-10

I bought this album through Columbia mail order, and it instantly became one of my favorite CDs in my collection of over 2000. When it was scratched beyond playability, I immediately re-purchased it. I have almost everything else John Rutter has put out, as well as the Dale Warland singers from the US.
The music is simply ethereal, and the songs are not the overplayed tunes we hear over and over and over.
My two complaints with the album are that some of the tracks are hard to hear because the singing is so quiet and the sound level is uneven between tracks, and some of the tracks have Rutter's cutesy, saccharine arrangements drowning out the singing (Donkey Carol is the protoypical, and one I frequently skip).
However, the album is so beautiful otherwise, with the Wexford Carol, and the nearly inaudible Jesus Christ The Apple Tree, and several other tracks, that I still have to give it a 5 star rating.

Angelic Music.......2007-01-16

Lovely. So classic and ethereal. Perfect with Christmas dinner, or quiet card games by the fire.

Top list Christmas CD.......2006-12-12

The Holly and the Ivy is one of two absolutely must-have Christmas CDs from Clare College. This is a traditional English choir with adult male and female voices, trained in the utmost clarity and sweetness of voice that is rarely found elsewhere in the singing world. Clare College Choir is coupled with a most delightful orchestral score that seamlessly melds voices and orchestra into something surprisingly merry, uplifting, and completely satisfying. There are both familiar and lesser known carols here, and every single one is a joy.

Wonderful Christmas CD.......2006-11-15

Too many people are overwhelmed with the more modern Christmas songs out there today and are unaware of the wonderful music available on CDs like this. John Rutter proves his brilliance in arranging and conducting. The music overwhelms the senses and the joy of Christmas overcomes you as you listen. This is one of the most peaceful Christmas CDs I have ever heard. "Wassail Song" is incredible, and if you are ever in a small vocal ensemble, this song is a must to perform. You will not be disappointed when you purchase this CD.

traditional, and comfortingly so..........2005-08-23

In a world where new is better and change occurs at an ever-increasing rate, it seems logical that seasonal music would be included in the rush toward mass marketing and commercial airplay. It is amazing, but not surprising, that "carols" which extol the virtues of an electrically-illuminated ungulant, or which humourously recall the tragic events surrounding the collision of an elderly woman and another ruminating creature of the forest should be featured so prominently in the playlists of the popular culture.

Tired as I am of such artistic efforts, Rutter's efforts in leading the Clare College Choir and Orchestra on this collection come at the right time and to the right place. This is true and beautiful music of the season: it is performed well and interpreted with Rutter's master's touch. For those of us whose tastes run to the traditional, this is welcome stuff indeed.

Average customer rating:

Christmas Echoes, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Gothic Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Noels | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000ARFPZ8
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Album Description

2003 Grammy nominee for Best Choral Performance! An assortment of carols from traditional to modern, in familiar and new arrangements, featuring America's preeminent choral ensemble, which retired in 2004 after a legendary 31 seasons. This album includes a cappella tunes as well as accompaniment for harp, guitar, organ, handbells, and other instruments.

Average customer rating:

Incredible Christmas Album

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Christmas Classics
Ultimate Classical Christmas Album of All Time
Romantic Christmas
Traditional Christmas Classics
A Family Christmas

ASIN: B0000D1FKB
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Tracks:

What Child Is This? - Vanessa Williams
Winter Wonderland - Ella Fitzgerald
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
The Christmas Song - Mel Torme
Silver And Gold - Burl Ives
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Perry Como
Silver Bells - The Ames Brothers
Mary's Boy Child - Harry Belafonte
The White Snows Of Christmas - The Kingston Trio
Koppangen - Anne Sophie Von Otter
Mary Did You Know - Hayley Westenra
We Three Kings Of Orient Are - Anadian Brass
The Homecoming - John Tesh
Shepherd's Pipe Carol Choir - Shoir Of St John's College
Carol Of The Drum - John Williams
Once In Royal David - Academy Of St Martin-In-The-Fields
Les Anges Dans Nos Campagne - Gheorghe Zamfir
Carol Of The Bells - Musica Sacra
I Saw Three Ships - Mantovani & His Orchestra
Sleigh Ride - Arthur Fiedler
The Christmas Waltz - THE LIVING STRINGS
Christmas Bells - Mantovani & His Orchestra
Patapan - London Symphony Orchestra
We Wish You A Merry Christmas - The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
Jingle Bell Rock - Bond

Tracks:

Adeste Fidelis (O Come All Ye Faithful) - Academy Of St Martin-In-The-Fields
O Holy Night - Luciano Pavarotti
O Tannebaum - Vienna Boys' Choir
Ave Maria - Luciano Pavarotti
Joy To The World - Joan Sutherland
Ding Dong! Merrily On High - John Rutter
Do You Hear What I Hear? - Anthony Way
O Little Town Of Bethlehem - The Choir Of King's College
Coventry Carol - London Symphony Orchestra
Away In The Manger - The Choir Of King's College
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - Leontyne Price
Hark! The Hearld Angels Sing - Academy Of St Martin-In-The-Fields
Deck The Halls - London Symphony
Gesu Bambino - Luciano Pavarotti
The First Nowell - The Choir Of King's College
Still, Still, Still - Vienna Boys' Choir
King Jesus Hath A Garden - John Rutter
Child In The Manger - John Rutter
The Holly And The Ivy - The Choir Of King's College
In Dulci Jubilo - The Choir Of Kings College
God Rest Ye Merr yGentlemen - The Choir Of King's College
Jesu, Joy Of Mans Desiring - Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
Good King Wencelas - John Tesh
Twelve Days Of Christmas - Anthony Way
Silent Night - David Willcocks

Children Sing for Children: 25 Christmas Songs

Average customer rating:

We All LOVE this CD
A Must Have
Pretty Darn good

Children Sing for Children: 25 Christmas Songs
Various Artists
Manufacturer: United Multi Media
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Christmas Sing-A-Longs
Christmas Favorites
A Holly Jolly Christmas For Kids
Christmas Carols
First Christmas Record for Children (Exp)

ASIN: B000069KGA
Release Date: 2002-08-01

Customer Reviews:

We All LOVE this CD.......2005-11-07

Finally! A CD for children and adults that you can actually understand what they are saying! The children can learn the words to the songs very quickly even our 2 year old. Great music, overall just perfect.

A Must Have.......2005-08-30

My wife and I love Christmas time. What a great season, and time of year. We are always looking for quality Christmas music, and each year purchase about 5 new CDs. We purchased Children Sing for Christmas about 3 years ago and love it. It is in top rotation around our house, alone with the music from Charlie Brown's Christmas.

If you are looking for a good Christmas CD to add to your collection - one that you won't regret purchasing - than this CD is a best bet.

Whatever your style of musical tastes, everyone in your family will enjoy Chidlren Sing for Christmas. My wife and 2 daughters love it.

Pretty Darn good.......2003-12-17

This cd of children singing is very nicely done. They all sing very well and all in tune!! They are accompanied by a piano, nothing else, but it sounds really good. You can easily understand what the kids are singing. My kids just love it (4 & 2)....I hear them singing these songs a lot to themselves.

Essential Carols: The Very Best of King's College Choir, Cambridge

Average customer rating:

Essential Carols: The Very Best of King's College Choir, Cambridge

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Baroque Christmas Album
On Christmas Day: New Carols from King's Choir of King's College, Cambridge
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Christmas from King's College Choir
O Come All Ye Faithful: Christmas Carols at King's College, Cambridge

ASIN: B000B66PE8
Release Date: 2005-01-01

Tracks:

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
The First Nowell
While Shepherds Watched
I Saw Three Ships
Ding Dong! Merrily On High
King Jesus Has A Garden
In Dulci Jubilo
Unto Us Is Born A Son
O Come , All Ye Faithful
Away In A Manger
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
The Holly And The Ivy
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
See Amid The Winter's Snow
Past Three O' Clock
Invitatory
Adam Lay Ybounden
Gabriel's Message

Tracks:

Once In Royal David's City
Sussex Carol
Rocking
Rejoice And Be Merry
The Cherry Tree Carol
The Three Kings
As With Gladness Men Of Old
A Great And Mighty Wonder
The Infant King
Balulalow
The Crown Of Roses
Christ Was Born On Christmas Day
Blessed Be That Maid Mary
Lute-Book Lullaby
Myn Lyking
Personent Hodie
In The Bleak Mid-Winter
Coventry Carol
Shepherds In The Field Abiding
Torches
Fantasia On Christmas Carols

Average customer rating:

Diversity in Christmas Traditions

Welcome Christmas
VocalEssence , and Philip Brunelle
Manufacturer: Clarion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The John Rutter Christmas Album
Eric Whitacre: The Complete A Cappella Works, 1991-2001

ASIN: B0002ZMJA2
Release Date: 2004-08-31

Tracks:

Oh, mi Belen! (Biscayan)
El Desembre Congelat (Catalonian)
Alegria (Puerto Rican)
A La Nanita Nana (Spanish)
Las Posadas (Spanish)
Campana sobre Campana (Andalusian)
En Belen Tocan a Fuego (Castilian)
El Noi de la Mare (Catalonian)
Chiquirrigultin (Andalusian)
El Rorro (Mexican)
Encore: Fum, Fum, Fum! (Catalonian)
What Sweeter Music - Michael Fink
Sussex Carol - arr. Dale Wood
Sing Hallelu! - Stephen Paulus
Pat-a-Pan - arr. Robert J. Bastastini
Go Tell It on the Mountain - arr. Steve Barnett
Christ Was Born on Christmas Day - arr. Randall Davidson
O Little Town of Bethlehem - arr. Stephen Paulus
The Friendly Beasts - arr. Robert Farlee
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly - arr. Daniel Kallman
Ding, Dong, Merrily on High - arr. Chester Alwes
'Tis Winter Now - arr. Monte Mason
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear - arr. Philip Brunnelle
Away in a Manger - arr. Bradley Ellingboe
The Holly and the Ivy - arr. Virgil Thompson

Amazon.com

British composer Benjamin Britten's Ceremony Of Carols is an Advent staple. In Conrad Susa's Carols & Lullabies - Christmas In The Southwest, the work now has an American companion piece. Initially inspired by festive Spanish-language songs that are typically sung in Arizona, the work incorporates traditional material from Catalonia, Puerto Rico, Castile, Andalusia, and Mexico. The lush yet spirited choral settings are splendidly sung by the VocalEssence Singers and underpinned by instrumentation that, like the Britten composition, relies heavily upon the harp. But Susa has also employed a marimba, a type of xylophone often heard in Mexican and South American music, which adds a deliciously subtle ethnic coloration. The balance of the program is devoted to well-known carols in arrangements by modern American composers. The entire album is an unexpected gem that soothes, exalts and pleasures the spirit. If there is any justice, it will become a beloved seasonal staple. --Christina Roden

Album Description

From across the United States have come composers and arrangers whose work contributes to this collection of Christmas music. These are carols from around the world brought together in arrangements that reflect an inherently American diversity and spirit. From Virgil Thomson's camp meeting setting of "The Holly and the Ivy" and Steve Barnett's swing version of "Go Tell It on the Mountain" to Randall Davidson's homespun "Christ Was Born on Christmas Day" and Conrad Susa's magnificent Carols & Lullabies, commissioned from Susa specifically for VocalEssence. Maestro Brunelle has chosen carols—both familiar and unfamiliar—tied to one another by their inventiveness, charm and beauty in one of the year's most exciting new holiday discs.

Customer Reviews:

Diversity in Christmas Traditions.......2005-10-25

It is getting more difficult each Christmas Season to find discs that offer Christmas choral music that is infused with a sense of "rootedness" borne out of time-hewn tradition and at the same time compliments--rather than rehashes--the existing repertoire of age-old Christmas choral music.

This is one of those rare discs that accomplishes this difficult task of offering a different approach to Christmas choral without slipping into the secular/contemporary (which usually strips all meaning and "rootedness" from Christmas). It does so by continuing to mine selections from Christmas traditions; however, the traditions are beyond the historical milieu of Olde Europe.

At least half the selections here hail from Hispanic origins. If I know anything about Hispanic culture (not much, but I live in the American Southwest), it is nothing if not traditional and rooted, yet passionate and alive.

If you are looking for a Christmas disc that can compliment (i.e., blend with but not duplicating) existing Christmas choral traditions, this is a "must-have" disc for your Christmas collection.

To be sure, several of the tracks are from the European Christmas choral traditions. But even these are executed with

Music Album:

Music Album