Christmas is Coming!

Music and Readings for Advent and Christmas

Sunday, 9 December 2012

 

Cathedral Choir & Notability	The truth from above (Traditional, arr. R Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958)
All	Come, thou long-expected Jesus
Notability	Mirabile dictu (Carol Ann Duffy/Sasha Johnson Manning) Jesus child (John Rutter)
All	Once in royal David’s city
Cathedral Choir	My Lord has come (Will Todd)
All	While shepherds watched their flocks
Anthony Hunt (Organ)	Nun komm der Heiden Heiland (J.S. Bach)
Notability	Mary, Mary (Mary Donnelly/George Strid)
All	O little town of Bethlehem
Cathedral Choir	All my heart this night rejoices (J.G. Ebeling, tr. C. Winkworth)
All	God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Cathedral Choir	Angels we have heard on high (trad., arr. Eric Paździora)
Notability
All	Hark the herald angels sing
Cathedral Choir & Notability	O magnum mysterium (Morten Lauridsen)
All	O come, all ye faithful
All	O come, O come Emmanuel
Anthony Hunt	Vom Himmel Hoch, (J.S. Bach)

 

Our usual partner charity AgeUK (formerly Age Concern) was unable to join us in mounting this year’s event, so instead we teamed up as usual with ace chamber choir Notability and put the show on ourselves. Speakers came from our two chosen charities, and there were scripture readings, and words of welcome, a prayer and a blessing from Canon Tony.

Overall my aim in compiling the programme was to give the event a more nuanced Advent feel, compared with the usual full-on Christmas celebration of previous years. This was probably more evident from the readings (Luke 1:26-38, Isaiah 40:1-5;9, John 1:1-5; 9-14) than from the music, though beginning and ending with Advent hymns seemed to set the tone successfully.

From a musical point of view, the high point was undoubtedly the two choirs joining together to sing Lauridsen’s stunningly beautiful setting of the famous Christmas text. It was a joy to sing.