December 25, 201312 yr Getslow, I really enjoyed this thread! It really put me in the Christmas spirit. Thank you. Oh...I agree with you #1. It's my favorite. I'm really going to miss this thread!
December 26, 201312 yr Author I'm really going to miss this thread! Yeah me too... shame it's all over and that... Gotcha! Christmas is twelve days long, folks. I'm just getting warmed up. WE'RE TAKING THIS TRAIN ALL THE WAY TO THE EPIPHANY! Today is the second day of Christmas and, historically, the Feast of Stephen, saint and martyr. His is the first recorded martyrdom in the name of Christianity, recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. His heroic virtue has been celebrated since the earliest days of the Church. "Good King Wenceslaus" was a ruler in Bohemia in the tenth century. Even during his life, he was considered a model of princely virtue and the ideal of a virtuous ruler; so much so that his life became an example of the virtuous king, a strong concept of the high middle ages, the chief principle being that a ruler's power stems from his great piety. In his life, he was not actually king, but a duke. Holy Roman Emperor Otto I posthumously declared for him regal dignity and title and was henceforth known as a king. Good King Wenceslaus was canonized in the Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997.
December 27, 201312 yr Author The Third Day of Christmas December 27 - Feast of St. John the Evangelist Curious timing for the Feast of St. John, considering his gospel has no Christmas story, but instead begins with John's typical abstruse imagery then dives right into Jesus' baptism. His brother, James, is considered by the Church to have been the second martyr, so perhaps his would have been more appropriate. However, tradition states that of the apostles, John alone was not a himself a martyr. Though St. Jerome tells of his being thrown into a vat of boiling oil by the Roman Emperor Domitian, he was delivered from the vat unharmed. St. John was called "the beloved apostle" so in that sense, perhaps it's fitting his feast is so close to the birth of Christ. Several of Johan Sebastian Bach's "Christmas Cantatas" were written for masses on the Feast of St. John with texts inspired by what would have been the normal daily scripture readings at mass under the calendar of the time: Hebrews 1 and John 1. Below is one of my favorites. Its title translates as "Sweet Comfort, my Jesus comes". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpQSZ5Ejk2k 1. Aria for Soprano Sweet comfort, my Jesus comes, Jesus now is born! Heart and soul rejoice, for my dearest God has now destined me for heaven. 2. Recitative for Bass Rejoice then, my heart, for now the pain ebbs which has oppressed you for so long. God has sent His dearest Son, whom He values as high and precious, into this world. He leaves the heavenly throne and would now deliver the whole world from its chains of slavery and servitude. O wonderful deed! God is made man and on earth wishes to be lowlier than us and much poorer. 3. Aria for Alto In Jesus' humbleness I can find comfort, in His poverty a kingdom. This same miserable state acquaints me with pure salvation and well-being. Indeed, His wonder-working hand will weave a wreath of blessing for me. 4. Recitative for Tenor O precious Son of God, now You have opened heaven to me; and through Your lowliness have brought us the light of blessedness. Since You now, all alone, have left the stronghold and throne of the Father out of love for us, in our turn we would therefore hold You fast within our hearts. 5. Chorale Today He opens the door again to lovely paradise; the cherub no longer stands before it; praise, honor, and glory be to God!
December 27, 201312 yr Yeah me too... shame it's all over and that... Gotcha! Christmas is twelve days long, folks. I'm just getting warmed up. WE'RE TAKING THIS TRAIN ALL THE WAY TO THE EPIPHANY! :dancingpa
December 28, 201312 yr Author Fourth Day of Christmas December 28 - Feast of the Holy Innocents "Coventry Carol" - performed by the Collegium Vocale of Ghent, Belgium The Feast of the Holy Innocents, in the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church, is the date for the memorial of the Massacre of the Innocents, that occasion recounted in the Bible of King Herod ordering the slaughter of any child under the age of two in Bethlehem so as to prevent the loss of his throne to the foretold "newborn King of the Jews". Despite my earlier comments about St. Stephen, the Catholic Church recognizes these innocent children as the first martyrs for Christ. Colonels Wear Blue posted my favorite version of this carol earlier in the thread, as sung by the Westminster Cathedral Choir. This version is pretty close. The carol, which dates from the 16th century, takes the form of a lullaby, sung by the mothers of the doomed children of Bethlehem. Certainly not your standard joyous Christmas carol; it is hauntingly beautiful and calls to mind Christ's own death at the hands of those who misunderstood, hated, and feared Him. [video=youtube;Y-x-zS9ex58]
December 30, 201312 yr Author Fifth Day of Christmas Sunday After Christmas - Feast of the Holy Family December 29 - Feast of St. Thomas Becket "Once in Royal David's City" - words by Cecil Francis Alexander, music by Henry John Gauntlet, performed by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge December 29 is always the Feast of St. Thomas a Becket, martyred by supporters of King Henry II inside Canterbury Cathedral itself in 1170. But today it is also the Feast of the Holy Family, which is celebrated the Sunday following Christmas. Only recently has this celebration become official within the Church, instituted in 1893 by Pope Leo XIII, though of course each individual member of the Holy Family has long been celebrated in their own way. It is the lone feast that unifies the incarnate Christ, Mary and Joseph. And so, in honor of the Holy Family, I bring you one of the most beloved English carols, "Once in Royal David's City". The carol tells the story of the humble beginnings of Jesus' life on Earth: His birth in a manger in Bethlehem. I thought it appropriate to celebrate the Holy Family since it calls to mind the importance of Jesus' earthly mother and father since He chose to come to Earth as a small, helpless child who would thus need the love, care and guidance of his parents. [video=youtube;NMGMV-fujUY]
December 30, 201312 yr Feast of the Holy Family is one of my favorite days for Mass. The Christmas stress and rush is over, but the family is still together enjoying quality time.
December 30, 201312 yr And the Chreasters have left the building so there is room in the pews and parking lot. :lol2:
December 31, 201312 yr Author Sixth Day of Christmas December 30 - Feast of St. Ecgwin of Evesham "I Wonder as I Wander" - words and music by John Jacob Niles; performed by Joan Baez Not much to say about this one as I don't know anything about St. Ecgwin apart what I've read on Wikipedia and the same goes for "I Wonder as I Wander". Ecgwin was and Anglo-Saxon Benedictine monk and later a bishop. He founded Evesham Abbey in the earliest years of the 8th century. That Abbey would become one of the greatest in all of Britain over the next 800 years until Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. The church and surrounding buildings were ripped down and the tomb of Ecgwin destroyed in 1540.
December 31, 201312 yr ^This song was on an old Christmas album my folks had that we listened to every year.
January 2, 201412 yr Sixth Day of Christmas December 30 - Feast of St. Ecgwin of Evesham "I Wonder as I Wander" - words and music by John Jacob Niles; performed by Joan Baez Not much to say about this one as I don't know anything about St. Ecgwin apart what I've read on Wikipedia and the same goes for "I Wonder as I Wander". Ecgwin was and Anglo-Saxon Benedictine monk and later a bishop. He founded Evesham Abbey in the earliest years of the 8th century. That Abbey would become one of the greatest in all of Britain over the next 800 years until Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. The church and surrounding buildings were ripped down and the tomb of Ecgwin destroyed in 1540. Love the song.....can stand Joan Baez though.
January 2, 201412 yr Author Seventh Day of Christmas December 31 - Feast of Pope St. Sylvester Eighth Day of Christmas January 1 - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God "Alma Redemptoris Mater" - words by Hermanus Contractus; music by Thomas Luis de Victoria; performed by Ensemble Plus Ultra Oh geez... got behind here, so you're getting a two-fer to make up for the lost time. Pope Sylvester had one of the most influential papacies in history. He was pope from 314 until 335. At nearly 22 full years, it's the eighth-longest papal reign ever. He was pope during the Council of Nicea in 325, the first ecumenical council to draw in bishops from every corner of Christendom. He was also responsible for the foundation of the Church of St. John Lateran, the Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem and St. Peter's Basilica itself. In some German-speaking and Slavic countries, New Year's Eve is still called simply "Silvester" due to the date's historical significance as the saint's feast day. "Mother of God" is a fairly loose translation for the quality attributed to Mary on this feast day. The Greek word is "Theotokos", which literally translates to something more like "God-bearer" or "the one who births God". The term is found in Christian writing as early as the works of Origen in 235 and the doctrine was fully outlined at the Council of Ephasus in 431, an outline still held as valid by the Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist churches. As St. Cyril wrote: "If our Lord Jesus Christ truly is God, then how is the holy virgin who gave him birth not Theotokos? And so, since January 1 is the Solemnity commemorating that particular doctrine of Mary, it seems only fitting to use a Marian hymn that is associated with the season of Christmas, "Alma Redemptoris Mater". I already posted Palestrina's composition earlier in the thread, but Victoria's is worth the repeat. The title translates to "Loving Mother of the Redeemer" and is a very old hymn traditionally sung between the First Sunday of Advent and the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, which falls 40 days after Christmas. Loving Mother of our Savior, hear thou thy people's cry Star of the deep and Portal of the sky! Mother of Him who thee made from nothing made. Sinking we strive and call to thee for aid: Oh, by what joy which Gabriel brought to thee, Thou Virgin first and last, let us thy mercy see.
January 2, 201412 yr Author Ninth Day of Christmas January 2 - Feast of St. Basil the Great "Do You Hear What I Hear?" - music and lyrics by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker; performed by the Harry Simeone Chorale In Greek tradition, it is St. Basil himself who brings gifts to children during the holiday season, not on the feast of St. Nicholas or Christmas Day as is the case in much Western Christian tradition, but on his feast day in the Eastern Church which is on January 1. He is recognized by both East and West as a Doctor of the Church for his contributions to defining the Holy Trinity and being the first to truly define the Greek terms for "essence" and "person" to make more precise definitions of a triune God possible. It was he who first outlined the divinity of the Holy Spirit and its consubstantiality with both the Father and the Son. This recording of "Do You Hear What I Hear" is actually the first ever made. The songwriters, a husband and wife team, wrote the song as a plea for peace in October 1962 at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The king pleading to the people to "pray for peace, people everywhere" was therefore not just some throwaway line from a Christmas tune. This original recording was released just before Thanksgiving in 1962 and sold more than a quarter-million copies in that first Christmas season. The next year, Bing Crosby recorded it for a Christmas album, making it a massive hit; it has been a Christmas season mainstay ever since. [video=youtube;ADj-Ru3JQp0]
January 3, 201412 yr Author Tenth Day of Christmas January 3 - Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus "O Magnum Mysterium" - words from traditional Catholic liturgy of hours; music by Morten Lauridsen; performed by the Westminster Cathedral Choir Every Cathedral on the planet should have a choir school. This piece is why. I've never been crazy about Lauridsen, but this is spectacularly beautiful. Westminster Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Church in England and has a world-renowned choir school; this is the result. I'd give my right arm for the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville to have music like this. O Magnum Mysterium is a traditional responsorial antiphon from the Matins of Christmas. Like most of the liturgy of the hours, it was chant for many centuries but later composers began to rework the piece into polyphonic and other later music. This particular setting is from 1994, which couldn't possibly surprises anyone more than it surprises me. Every time I think I can't be surprised by newer compositions, I get something like this. Spectacular stuff from Lauridsen. O great mystery, and wonderful sacrament, that animals should see the new-born Lord, lying in a manger! Blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy to bear Christ the Lord. Alleluia!
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