I have a
number of great albums of Christmas music. Among them are four albums
made by Thijs van Leer with a number of others between 1976 (when
Musica per la notte de Natale with
Louis van Dijk and Rogier van Otterloo appeared) and
1996 (when the album Kerstconcert
appeared
under the name of van Leer and his daughters Eva and Berenice.)
These
albums contain over 50 numbers altogether in varying styles, chiefly
classical. Most are performed as instrumentals but several
are sung.
Many are
well known Christmas carols (Away in a manger, twice sung and
once as an instrumental; Joy to the World once sung, once not;
Silent night twice unsung; Ding Dong Merrily on high,
which appears twice in other versions as Gloria in Excelsis;
Adeste Fideles; In Dukci Jubilo; What Child Is This or
Greensleeves; In the bleak midwinter; Hark, The Herald Angels
Sing; God rest ye merry, Gentlemen, The First Noel).
Some are
Christmas songs (Deck the Halls, I'll Be Home For Christmas,
Mary's Boychild, Mary had a baby sung, White Christmas and rather
differently ABBA's I have a dream). Most of
these are on the 1996 album Joy to the
world.
There is some Bach (O Jesulein Suss thrice; Ave Maria twice;
Susser Trost, Mein Jesus Kommt; Schlummert Ein) and Handel
(For unto us a child is born)
and Correlli
(Allegro & Pastorale). These are mostly on the 1992 album
In De Grote Kerk Te Monnickendam with
classical
singer Elie Ameling.
Some are
lesser known carols (The Coventry Carol; Es ist ein Ros
entsprungen; Tous Les Bourgeois De Chartre; The Royal Line; Mary,
Sing Allelujah; Maria Die Zoude Naar Betlehem Gaan ie Mary Would Go
To Bethlehem; Er Is Een Kindeke Geboren Op Aard ie A Child Is Born On
Earth; Hoe Leit Dit Kindeke ie How This Child Suffers and the
German hymns Ich Steh' An Der Krippen Hier and Von Himmel
Hoch, Da Komm' Ich Her).
On Joy
to the world there are several
tracks that are not actually connected with Christmas except by
appearing on that album, namely Rondo 1, House of the King
and Tango.
Fin de siecle and
Improvisatie on
the same album chiefly combine, respectively
the Dutch hymn used in
the Focus
track Hamburger
Concerto O Kerstnacht, schoner dan de dagen (O Christmas
Night, more beautiful than any day!) and
a 15th
century French tune used in Focus's Eruption
called Dit le Bourgignon and
John Lennon's Happy Christmas War
is over with
We wish you a Merry Christmas
played on a pipe organ by Rob van Dijk.
