Program Book - Vienna Boys Choir: Christmas in Vienna
NINETY-FOURTH SEASON
Saturday, November 30, 2024, at 1:30
VIENNA BOYS CHOIR: CHRISTMAS IN VIENNA
Manolo Cagnin Choirmaster
PURCELL
ORFF
MOZART
SCHUBERT
KRATOCHWIL
PETERSON
COULAIS
ABBA/ANDERSSON, ULVAEUS
Come, Ye Sons of Art, Birthday Ode for Queen Mary II, Z. 323
Fortuna Imperatrix mundi from Carmina burana
Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 (arr. Wirth)
Psalm 23, D. 706
Jubilate Deo, Op. 157a
Hymn to Freedom
Vois sur ton chemin from Les choristes
Thank You for the Music (arr. Shaw)
ABBA/ANDERSSON, ULVAEUS Mamma mia
PIAZZOLLA
MODUGNO
INTERMISSION
Libertango (arr. Escalada)
Volare: Nel blu dipinto di blu
FINNISH CHRISTMAS CAROL Gaudete! from Piae cantiones (arr. Wirth)
NEUNER Fröhliche Weihnacht überall (arr. Wirth)
MASON, HANDEL Joy to the World (arr. Wirth)
EYBLER Omnes de Saba venient
TRADITIONAL GERMAN CAROL Maria durch ein’ Dornwald ging (arr. Theimer)
REGER Mariä Wiegenlied from Schlichte Weisen, Op. 76, No. 52
REIMANN Shepherds’ Lullaby (arr. Wirth)
OLD FRENCH CAROL A Maiden Most Gentle (arr. Carter)
TRADITIONAL ENGLISH CAROL God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (arr. Wirth)
ADAM O Holy Night (arr. Wirth)
LIVINGSTON Silver Bells from The Lemon Drop Kid
BLAKE Walking in the Air from The Snowman (arr. Arch)
LEONTOVYCH Shchedryk
EBEL Leise rieselt der Schnee (arr. Wirth)
HOLIDAY MEDLEY
FRANK O Tannenbaum
MARTIN, BLANE Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
PIERPONT Jingle Bells
The program is subject to change.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.
COMMENTS by Tina Breckwoldt
HENRY PURCELL
Born September 10, 1659; London, England
Died November 21, 1695; London, England
Come, Ye Sons of Art, Birthday Ode for Queen Mary II, Z. 323
Henry Purcell was a chorister with the Chapel Royal. After his voice changed, he held several musical posts at the court, including organ maker, keeper of the king’s instruments, composer-in-ordinary for the king’s violins, and organist of the Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal. During his lifetime, he served three consecutive kings of England: Charles II, James II, and William III.
It was part of Purcell’s duties to compose works for royal occasions, coronations, weddings, birthdays, and funerals. Come, Ye Sons of Art is the last of six birthday odes composed for Queen Mary II, who loved music. The ode was written for the popular queen’s thirtieth birthday on April 30, 1694, her last, as it turned out.
The text, probably by Nahum Tate, who was poet laureate to the court at the time, is flowery and highly complimentary of the queen in keeping with the court’s demands.
Come, Ye Sons of Art
Come, come, ye sons of Art, come, come a way. Tune all your voices and instruments, play to celebrate this triumphant day.
Text: Ascribed to Nahum Tate
CARL
ORFF
Born July 10, 1895; Munich, Germany
Died March 29, 1982; Munich, Germany
Fortuna Imperatrix mundi from Carmina burana
Carmina burana is a collection of 254 medieval texts in Latin, Middle High German, and Frankish. The collection contains sacred songs, possibly for pageants, moral songs, satirical songs, and songs about love and drinking. It was compiled around 1230, probably for the Seckau Abbey in Austria.
The manuscript was discovered in the early 1800s in the Benediktbeuern Monastery in Bavaria; it was edited in 1847 by Johann Andreas Schmeller (1785–1852) under its new title Carmina burana (Songs from Benediktbeuern).
Carl Orff composed his Carmina in 1936. He selected twenty-four songs to paint his vision of the Wheel of Fortune and man’s life turning with it from love to death, happiness to misery. The work opens and closes with a choral address to Fortuna, the fickle Goddess of Luck and Fate, on whose whims man’s lot depends. To Orff, Carmina burana signified his first real work; the composer wrote to his publisher to destroy everything else.
Fortuna Imperatrix mundi
O Fortuna, velut Luna statu variabilis, semper crescis aut decrescis; vita detestabilis nunc obdurat et tunc curat ludo mentis aciem, egestatem, potestatem dissolvit ut glaciem.
Sors immanis et inanis, rota tu volubilis, status malus.
Vana salus semper dissolubilis; obumbrata et velata michi quoque niteris. Nunc per ludum dorsum nudum fero tui sceleris.
Sors salutis et virtutis michi nunc contraria. Est affectus et defectus semper in angaria. Hac in hora sine mora corde pulsum tangite; quod per sortem sternit fortem, mecum omnes plangite!
Fortune, Empress of the World
O Fortune, like the moon you are changeable, ever waxing or waning; detestable life, first, it thwarts then it cares, playing with the mind’s desire; poverty, power are melted like ice.
Fate oppressive and inane, you, whirling wheel, you are wicked. Health is vain and always fades to nothing; shadowed and veiled you plague me too. Now, through your games, my bare back I bring to your malice.
Fate in health and virtue is now turned against me. It is driven on and defeated, always enslaved. At this hour, without delay pluck the quivering strings; since through fate the strong man falls, you may all bemoan with me.
WOLFGANG MOZART
Born January 27, 1756; Salzburg, Austria
Died December 5, 1791; Vienna, Austria
Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 (Arranged by Gerald Wirth)
As a composer to the Imperial Court, Mozart is one of the musicians closely linked to the history of the Vienna Boys Choir. For its 525th anniversary, the Choir decided to do its own version of Mozart’s K. 525—one of the most famous and loved pieces in classical music.
Mozart wrote the serenade in G major in the summer of 1787; he himself dubbed it “a little night music.” A serenade is a musical tribute,
FRANZ SCHUBERT
usually played in the evening or at night, and Mozart scored this piece for a string ensemble. Gerald Wirth, the artistic director of the Vienna Boys Choir, adapted the first movement for the boys, with the sopranos singing the first and second violins part and the altos covering the lower parts of violas, cellos, and basses. There is no text; the voices imitate the instruments.
Born January 31, 1797; Himmelpfortgrund, northwest of Vienna, Austria Died November 19, 1828; Vienna, Austria
Psalm 23, D. 706
Franz Peter Schubert was born in 1797 in Himmelpfortgrund, a district of Vienna. His father, a schoolteacher, gave him violin and piano lessons. In 1808 Schubert auditioned for the Imperial Boys Choir, winning one of only two free spots in the choir. His teacher and mentor became Antonio Salieri. Schubert liked his life at the choir school, particularly the music, but he disliked the food. A letter to his brother has him begging for some money or an apple, “as it is hard to subsist on gruel and to wait for hours from one measly meal to the next.”
Despite his enormous talent, Schubert was never able to live by his music; he had to eke out a meager living by teaching. Initially, he worked as an assistant at his father’s school and later taught music at the Hungarian estate of Count Esterházy. Later on, he was supported by his friends.
Schubert wrote eight symphonies, six masses, and chamber music. He is most famous for his lieder, writing over six hundred songs to poems by Goethe, Heine, Shakespeare, and others. He died at the age of thirty-one, most likely from typhoid fever.
Psalm 23, titled “The Good Shepherd,” is one of the most popular psalms of King David. The good shepherd is an epithet used for gods and kings throughout the Ancient Near East. It was the duty of the king or the city deity to provide for the people and keep them from harm the same way a shepherd looks after his flock. The last two verses describe a gesture of hospitality in the Near East—a festive banquet; in fact, it is the ultimate banquet, where God himself anoints the believer.
Schubert wrote this piece for Anna Fröhlich and her pupils in December 1820. The poetic translation is by philosopher Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786), Felix Mendelssohn’s grandfather.
Psalm 23
Gott ist mein Hirt, mir wird nichts mangeln. Er lagert mich auf grüner Weide, er leitet mich an stillen Bächen er labt mein schmachtendes Gemüt er führt mich auf gerechtem Steige zu seines Namens Ruhm.
Und wall’ ich auch im Todesschattentale, so wall’ ich ohne Furcht, denn du beschützest mich.
Dein Stab und deine Stütze sind mir immerdar mein Trost.
Du richtest mir ein Freudenmahl im Angesicht der Feinde zu, Du salbst mein Haupt mit Öle und schenkst mir volle Becher ein.
Mir folget Heil und Seligkeit in diesem Leben nach, einst ruh’ ich ew’ge Zeit dort in des Ew’gen Haus.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Text: Psalm 23
HEINZ KRATOCHWIL
Born February 23, 1933; Mödling, Austria
Died April 2, 1995; Vienna, Austria
Jubilate Deo, Op. 157a
Heinz Kratochwil, a professor at Vienna’s University of Music, described his compositions as works that explore boundaries. He combines old and new, serious and popular styles of music. Kratochwil’s works use elements of church modes, polyphony, jazz, and avant-garde.
Jubilate Deo
Jubilate Deo omnis terra, servite Domino in laetitia; intrate in conspectu ejus, intrate in exultatione, quia Dominus ipse est Deus. Jubilate Deo. Amen!
“Jubilate Deo” is a setting of Psalm 100, a psalm of praise, sung at the procession into the temple. It was written in 1976 for the Vienna Boys Choir.
Rejoice in God
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs, know that the Lord is God. Shout for joy to the Lord. Amen!
Text: Psalm 100:1–3
OSCAR PETERSON
Born August 15, 1925; Montreal, Canada
Died December 23, 2007; Mississauga, Canada
Hymn to Freedom (Arranged by Gerald Wirth)
Canadian Oscar Peterson began playing the trumpet as a child and later turned to the piano. He was a brilliant technical pianist whose swing performances were much admired. From 1947, Peterson performed all over North America, making his debut in New York’s Carnegie Hall in the early 1950s.
Peterson was influenced by Art Tatum, Errol Garner, and George Shearing and collaborated with Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Zoot Sims, Ella Fitzgerald, and Stan Getz, among others. He
Hymn to Freedom
When ev’ry heart joins ev’ry heart and together yearns for liberty, that’s when we’ll be free.
When ev’ry hand joins ev’ry hand and together molds our destiny, that’s when we’ll be free.
Any hour, any day, the time soon will come when men live in dignity; that’s when we’ll be free.
When ev’ry man joins in our song and together singing harmony, that’s when we’ll be free.
Text: Oscar Peterson, Harriette Hamilton
won seven Grammy awards between 1974 and 1991.
“Hymn to Freedom” was written in 1962. Inspired by the work of Martin Luther King, Jr., it was Peterson’s own protest song. With the added lyrics by Hamilton, it became an unofficial anthem of the civil rights movement.
Peterson visited the Vienna Boys Choir in its home in Vienna in 2003; after being serenaded by the choristers (including a performance of “Hymn to Freedom”), the composer treated the boys to a bit of true jazz.
BRUNO COULAIS
Born January 13, 1954; Paris, France
Vois sur ton chemin from Les choristes
“Vois sur ton chemin” was written for the film
Les choristes (The Chorus). The film tells the story of a teacher transforming the unruly boys, who are said to be monsters, in an austere boarding school for troubled boys by teaching them to sing and be a choir. In the film, the teacher comes across the most talented boy singing the song to himself; the lyrics reflect the boys’ life at the boarding school. The phrase “Elété, ilété Eléti, ilété Eléti, ilété Ilété, ilété”
Vois sur ton chemin
Vois sur ton chemin, gamins oubliés, égarés. Donne-leur la main pour les mener vers d’autres lendemains.
Sens, au coeur de la nuit
L’onde d’espoir, ardeur de la vie, sentier de gloire.
Bonheurs enfantins trop vite oubliés, effacés. Une lumière dorée brille sans fin tout au bout du chemin.
Vite oubliés, effacés; une lumière dorée brille sans fin Sens, au coeur de la nuit (au coeur de la nuit) L’onde d’espoir, ardeur de la vie.
has no meaning; it sounds like a passage from a mass or prayer.
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, “Vois sur ton chemin” was performed at the 2005 Academy Awards by Beyoncé and the American Boychoir. Christina Aguilera used a sample of “Vois sur ton chemin” in her song “Oh, Mother,” and German DJ Benett included the song in his techno remix, topping the charts in several countries in 2023.
See on your path
See on your path forgotten, lost children. Lend them a hand to lead them to other tomorrows.
Feel at the heart of the night, the wave of hope, the ardor of life, the path of glory.
The joys of childhood, forgotten too soon, wiped out. There is a golden light shining forever at the end of the path.
Quickly forgotten, erased; a golden light shines endlessly.
Feel at the heart of the night the wave of hope, the ardor of life, the path of glory.
Text: Christophe Barratier
BENNY ANDERSSON
Born December 16, 1946; Stockholm, Sweden
BJÖRN ULVAEUS
Born April 25, 1945; Göteborg, Sweden
Thank You for the Music (Arranged
“Thank You for the Music” was written as the opening song of a short musical titled The Girl with the Golden Hair (which is why the phrase appears in the song) and performed on ABBA’s 1977 tour. The first three songs, “Thank You for the Music,” “I Wonder (Departure),” and “I’m a Marionette,” were released on the album; the fourth song, “Get on the Carousel,” remains unreleased. “Thank You for the Music” is well known in its own right: it was used in ABBA:
Thank You for the Music
I’m nothing special; in fact, I’m a bit of a bore; if I tell a joke, you’ve probably heard it before. But I have a talent, a wonderful thing, ’cause everyone listens when I start to sing. I’m so grateful and proud; all I want is to sing it out loud.
Chorus
So I say, Thank you for the music, the songs I’m singing, thanks for all the joy they’re bringing. Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty, what would life be?
Without a song or a dance, what are we? So I say thank you for the music, for giving it to me.
(Please turn the page quietly.)
by Kirby Shaw)
The Movie, and it made its way into the musical Mamma Mia.
Originally recorded in 1977, the song was released again in 1983. It has been covered many times, as it expresses something all musicians feel. Thank you for the music; thank you to writers, composers, and whoever gives us talent, voice, and ears; and thank you, not least, to all those who listen.
Mother says I was a dancer before I could walk; she says I began to sing long before I could talk, and I’ve often wondered, how did it all start? Who found out that nothing can capture a heart like a melody can?
Well, whoever it was, I’m a fan.
Chorus
I’ve been so lucky, I am the girl with golden hair. I wanna sing it out to everybody: what a joy, what a life, what a chance!
Chorus ABBA
BENNY ANDERSSON BJÖRN ULVAEUS
Mamma mia
“Mamma mia” was written in 1975 by Anderson and Ulvaeus. The familiar story of an on-again, off-again relationship was something listeners could identify with, and the bouncy rebound chorus helped make the song a worldwide hit.
Mamma mia
I’ve been cheated by you since I don’t know when, so I made up my mind—it must come to an end, Look at me now; will I ever learn?
I don’t know how, but I suddenly lose control; there’s a fire within my soul. Just one look and I can hear a bell ring; one more look and I forget everything, o-o-o-oh.
“Mamma mia” became the title song of the 1999 musical (Mamma mia!, spelled with an exclamation mark to differentiate it from the song). In the 2008 film version, lead actress Meryl Streep sang it herself.
Chorus
Mamma mia, here I go again, my my, how can I resist you? Mamma mia, does it show again, my my, just how much I’ve missed you? Yes, I’ve been brokenhearted, blue since the day we parted. Why, why did I ever let you go? Mamma mia, now I really know, my my, I could never let you go.
I’ve been angry and sad about the things that you do; I can’t count all the times that I’ve told you we’re through. And when you go, when you slam the door, I think you know that you won’t be away too long. You know that I’m not that strong. Just one look, and I can hear a bell ring, one more look, and I forget everything, o-o-o-oh.
Chorus
Mamma mia, even if I say “Bye-bye,” leave me now or never, mamma mia, it’s a game we play; bye-bye doesn’t mean forever.
Chorus
ASTOR PIAZZOLLA
Born March 11, 1921; Mar del Plata, Argentina
Died July 4, 1992; Buenos Aires, Argentina
Libertango (Arranged by Oscar Escalada)
“Libertango” was written by Piazzolla in 1974 and originally performed by a tango ensemble consisting of bandoneón, piano, Hammond organ, marimba, flutes, bass guitar, electric and acoustic guitars, strings, and percussion instruments.
The title is a blend of the words libertad (freedom) and tango and might roughly be translated as “Free tango”; the composition is not a classical tango anymore, nor is it a “nuevo tango” yet.
It has been performed by different instruments and instrumental ensembles. Yo-Yo Ma included
it in his album Soul of the Tango: The Music of Astor Piazzolla, and Grace Jones performed it in a reggae arrangement with lyrics written by her and Barry Reynolds.
There is an a cappella arrangement written for the Swingle Singers. Oscar Escalada’s arrangement is for a three-part chorus (SSA) and piano. There are no lyrics; the voices mimic different instruments, while the piano carries the basic tango rhythm.
DOMENICO MODUGNO
Born January 9, 1928; Polignano a Mare, Italy
Died August 6, 1994; Lampedusa, Italy
Volare: Nel blu dipinto di blu
“Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare)” is a ballad written by Modugno and Migliacci, possibly inspired by the paintings of Marc Chagall. It has a quintessentially Italian feel to it.
The ballad was the Italian entry for the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest; the same year, it won its authors two Grammy awards—for
Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare)
Penso che un sogno così non ritorni mai più: mi dipingevo le mani e la faccia di blu, poi d’improvviso venivo dal vento rapito,
e incominciavo a volare nel cielo infinito.
Volare, oh, oh, cantare, oh, oh, oh, nel blu dipinto di blu, felice di stare lassù.
E volavo volavo felice più in alto del sole ed ancora più su. Mentre il mondo pian piano spariva lontano laggiù, una musica dolce suonava soltanto per me.
Volare, oh, oh, cantare, oh, oh, oh, nel blu dipinto di blu, felice di stare lassù.
Ma tutti i sogni nell‘alba svaniscon perchè quando tramonta la luna li porta con sè. Ma io continuo a sognare negli occhi tuoi belli che sono blu come un cielo trapunto di stelle.
Volare, oh, oh, cantare, oh, oh, oh, nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu, felice di stare quaggiù.
Song of the Year and Record of the Year. It has been covered by countless artists, including Louis Armstrong, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, Luciano Pavarotti, and numerous football fans around the globe. The lyrics may vary, but the song invariably makes singers and listeners smile.
In the Blue Painted Blue (To Fly)
I think a dream like this will never come back: I had painted my hands and face blue, and suddenly, I found myself swept off by the wind, and I began to fly into the endless sky.
To fly, oh, oh, to sing oh, oh, oh, in the blue painted blue, happy to stay up there.
And I flew and flew happily, higher than the sun and ever higher. While the world down below slowly disappeared, sweet music played just for me.
To fly, oh, oh, to sing oh, oh, oh, in the blue painted blue, happy to stay up there.
But all dreams vanish at dawn, for when the moon sets, it takes them along. But I carry on dreaming in your beautiful eyes that are blue as the sky studded with stars.
To fly, oh, oh, to sing oh, oh, oh, in the blue of your blue eyes, happy to stay down here.
E continuo a volare felice più in alto del sole ed ancora più su mentre il mondo pian piano scompare negli occhi tuoi blu La tua voce è una musica dolce che suona per me.
Volare, oh, oh, cantare, oh, oh, oh, nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu felice di stare quaggiù, nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu felice di stare quaggiù.
FINNISH CHRISTMAS CAROL
And I keep flying happily higher than the sun and ever higher, While the world down below slowly disappears in your blue eyes. Your voice is sweet music, playing for me.
To fly, oh, oh, to sing oh, oh, oh, in the blue of your blue eyes, happy to stay down here, in the blue of your blue eyes, happy to be down here with you.
Text: Franco Migliacci
Gaudete! from Piae cantiones (Arranged by Gerald Wirth)
The Piae cantiones ecclesiasticae et scholasticae veterum episcoporum (Pious ecclesiastical and scholastic songs of the old bishops) are a collection of seventy-four Latin songs edited by Finnish scholars Theodoricus Petri and Jaakko Suomalainen (aka Jacob Finno) and printed in Greifswald, Germany, in 1582. Most of the songs date to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; some songs are of German or Bohemian origin, and others are most likely Finnish.
As is customary for the time, the printed Piae cantiones did not include music for the verses; the tunes were well-known. The verses of “Gaudete!” are based on the Bohemian carol
Gaudete!
Gaudete, gaudete! Christus est natus ex Maria Virgine. Gaudete!
Tempus adest gratiae hoc quod optabamus; carmina laetitiae devote reddamus.
“Ezechielis porta” (The Gate of Ezekiel), sung by soloists in Gerald Wirth’s arrangement. The chorus “Gaudete!,” sung by the full choir, was probably added by Petri and Suomalainen and was sung to a tune by Martin Luther, “Danket dem Herrn” (Give Thanks to the Lord).
The term gate of Ezekiel refers to the prophet’s vision of the temple layout (Ezekiel 44:1–4), in which God tells Ezekiel that the eastern gate must be kept shut, for that is the gate reserved for God. The verse tells us that the gate has been passed (by Christ). It is the eastern gate from which come light and salvation, Christ again.
Rejoice!
Rejoice, rejoice! Christ is born of the Virgin Mary. Rejoice!
The time of grace is here for which we have longed; songs of joy let us offer with devotion.
(Please turn the page quietly.)
Deus homo factus est natura mirante; mundus renovatus est a Christo regnante.
Ezechielis porta clausa pertransitur; unde lux est orta salus invenitur.
Ergo nostra contio psallat iam in lustro, benedicat Domino: salus Regi nostro!
CARL NEUNER
Born July 29, 1778; Munich, Germany
Died April 1, 1830; Munich, Germany
God is made Man as nature marvels; the world has been renewed by Christ’s reigning.
Ezekiel’s gate, which was shut, has been passed; from where the light rises salvation is found.
Therefore, our assembly shall now sing at the purification, and it shall praise the Lord: Hail to our King!
Fröhliche Weihnacht überall (Arranged by Gerald Wirth)
The text was written in 1786 by Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart (1739–1791), a poet, journalist, and the author of Franz Schubert’s lieder “Die Forelle” (The Trout). Schubart, a champion of free speech, was forever in trouble with the authorities, but his poems were much loved
Fröhliche Weihnacht überall
Chorus
Fröhliche Weihnacht! Überall
Tönet durch die Lüfte froher Schall. Weihnachtston, Weihnachtsbaum, Weihnachtsduft in jedem Raum!
Fröhliche Weihnacht! Überall
Tönet durch die Lüfte froher Schall.
Darum alle stimmet ein, in den Jubelton; denn es kommt das Licht der Welt von des Vaters Thron.
Chorus
by his contemporaries—he had veritable fans in the modern sense.
Munich-born composer Karl Neuner wrote the melody in 1814, possibly inspired by a French or English tune.
Merry Christmas All Around Chorus
Merry Christmas! All around the air rings with cheerful sound. Christmas sound, Christmas tree, Christmas scent in every room. Merry Christmas! All around the air rings with cheerful sound.
Therefore, everyone join in the singing, for the light of the world arrives before His Father’s throne.
Chorus
Licht auf dunklem Wege, unser Licht bist du; denn du führst, die dir vertraun, ein zur sel’gen Ruh.
Chorus
Was wir andern je getan sei getan für dich. Das bekennen jeder muss Christkind kam für mich.
LOWELL MASON
Born January 8, 1792; Medfield, Massachusetts Died August 11, 1872; Orange, New Jersey
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL
Born February 23, 1685; Halle, Saxony, Germany Died April 14, 1759; London, England
Light on a dark path, You are our light, for You lead those who trust in You toward eternal bliss.
Chorus
Anything we ever did for others was done for You, for everyone must confess: Christ arrived for me.
Text: Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart
Joy to the World (Arranged by Gerald Wirth)
In 1719, the English priest Isaac Watts published his renditions of the psalms of David, including “Joy to the World,” based on Psalm 98:4ff. “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth / burst into jubilant song with music.” Lowell Mason, an American Presbyterian, set Watts’s words
Joy to the World
Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room, and heav’n and nature sing, etc.
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy, etc.
He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love, etc
Text: Isaac Watts
to music in 1839, borrowing some phrases from Handel’s Messiah. Mason did not claim to be the composer of the tune; in fact, he titled his arrangement in the original publication “From Handel.”
JOSEPH VON EYBLER
Born February 8, 1765; Schwechat, Austria
Died July 24, 1846; Vienna, Austria
Omnes de Saba venient
Joseph von Eybler was born in Schwechat, Lower Austria, receiving his education in a seminary run by the city of Vienna. As a boy, he took composition lessons from court composer Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, and Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart helped his career along. Mozart, who was a close friend, asked Eybler to conduct the rehearsals for the premiere of his opera Così fan tutte. Ironically, as a court employee, Eybler was far more influential in his lifetime than either Haydn or Mozart.
In 1803 Eybler began working for the Imperial Chapel (Hofmusikkapelle), where the Vienna Boys Choir serves as the court choir today. In 1824 Eybler succeeded Antonio Salieri as director of the Imperial Chapel. Joseph von Eybler wrote thirty-two masses, two oratorios, a requiem, several motets, symphonies, and some chamber music. Not many of his compositions are readily available—the gradual “Omnes de Saba venient,” with its bright soprano solo, remains his most popular work. It is used in Walt Disney’s 1962 movie on the Vienna Boys Choir, Almost Angels, directed by Steve Previn.
Omnes de Saba venient
Choir
Omnes de Saba venient, aurum et thus deferentes et laudem Domino annuntiantes. Alleluja!
Solo
Surge et illuminare Jerusalem quia gloria Domini super te orta est. Alleluja!
Choir
Vidimus stellam ejus in Oriente. Alleluja!
Et venimus cum muneribus adorare Dominum.
Alleluja!
They will all come from Saba
Choir
They will all come from Saba; (they will) bring gold and frankincense and praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!
Solo
Rise and shine, Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen above you. Hallelujah!
Choir
We have seen His star in the east, Hallelujah!
And we have come with presents to worship the Lord.
Hallelujah!
Text: Isaiah 60:6 and Matthew 2:2
TRADITIONAL GERMAN CAROL
Maria durch ein’ Dornwald ging (Arranged by Uwe Theimer)
This moving carol originated in the sixteenth century, and in the nineteenth century, it was used as a processional hymn in Thuringia and Paderborn, Germany. It is firmly rooted in the Catholic tradition of medieval hymns to Mary: the miracle of Christ’s birth is told as a simple legend, using a number of metaphors
Maria durch ein’ Dornwald ging
Maria durch ein’ Dornwald ging. Kyrie eleison.
Maria durch ein’ Dornwald ging, der hat seit sieben Jahren kein Laub getragen. Kyrie eleison.
Was trug Maria unter ihrem Herzen? Kyrie eleison.
Ein kleines Kindlein ohne Schmerzen, das trug Maria unter ihrem Herzen. Kyrie eleison.
Da hab’n die Dornen Rosen getragen. Kyrie eleison.
Als das Kindlein durch den Wald getragen, da hab’n die Dornen Rosen getragen. Kyrie eleison.
MAX REGER
Born March 19, 1873; Brand, near Bayreuth, Germany
Died May 11, 1916; Leipzig, Germany
well-known in the sixteenth century. The Dornwald (thorn brush) symbolizes the fallen world (Genesis 2:9, 3:18), and the blossoming roses represent the birth of Christ and the overcoming of death.
The Vienna Boys Choir recorded the song in 2013 for Curt Faudon’s film Songs for Mary
Mary walked through a thorn brush
Mary walked through a thorn brush.
Kyrie eleison.
Mary walked through a thorn brush that hadn’t shown any green for seven years. Kyrie eleison.
What did Mary carry beneath her heart?
Kyrie eleison.
A small child without pain
Mary carried beneath her heart.
Kyrie eleison.
And then the thorns bore roses.
Kyrie eleison.
When the child was carried through the brush, the thorns bore roses.
Kyrie eleison.
Mariä Wiegenlied from Schlichte Weisen, Op. 76, No. 52
Max Reger, who had his first music lessons as a child, was a student of Hugo Riemann. Riemann was an eminent composer and musicologist—his Musiklexikon remains a standard encyclopedia to this day.
Between 1901 and 1907, Reger was busy as a composer and pianist. In 1907 he was offered a professorship at the Leipzig Conservatory, and in
1911, he accepted the post of court composer in Meiningen, where he stayed until the outbreak of World War I. He died from a heart attack in 1916.
Max Reger is particularly known for his complex organ works, which were often criticized for being overly difficult. Reger wrote his Schlichte Weisen (Simple Songs) partly to prove his critics wrong. “Mariä Wiegenlied” is dedicated to
Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe Meiningen. It is set in F major, and the swaying rhythm imitates the gently rocking cradle. The tune is loosely based on the old carol “Resonet in laudibus,” the
Mariä Wiegenlied
Maria sitzt im Rosenhag und wiegt ihr Jesuskind. Durch die Blätter leise weht der warme Sommerwind.
Zu ihren Füßen singt ein buntes Vögelein: schlaf, Kindlein süsse, schlaf nun ein!
Hold ist dein Lächeln, Holder deines Schlummers Lust, Leg dein müdes Köpfchen fest an deiner Mutter Brust! Schlaf, Kindlein süsse, schlaf nun ein!
text using medieval imagery. The lullaby went on to become Reger’s most successful work. It is featured in Curt Faudon’s 2013 Vienna Boys Choir movie Songs for Mary
Mary’s Lullaby
Mary sits in the rose garden, rocking her baby Jesus. Through the leaves softly blows the warm summer wind.
At her feet, a colorful bird sings: sleep, sweet child, sleep now.
Precious is your smile, even more precious is your sleep. Rest your tired little head against your mother’s chest. Sleep, sweet child, sleep now.
Text: Martin Boelitz
HEINRICH REIMANN
Born March 12, 1850; Krosnowice, Poland Died May 24, 1906; Berlin, Germany
Shepherds’ Lullaby (Arranged by Gerald Wirth)
Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart was a musician, poet, and journalist who advocated freedom of speech his entire life. His “Shepherds’ Lullaby” is a theological lullaby for the Christ Child, celebrating His birth while at the same time predicting His death on the cross.
Wiegenlied der Hirten
Schlaf wohl, du Himmelsknabe du, schlaf wohl, du süsses Kind. Dich fächeln Engelein in Ruh mit sanftem Himmelswind. Wir armen Hirten singen dir ein herzig’s Wiegenliedlein für: Schlafe, schlafe, Himmelssöhnchen, schlafe!
Maria hat mit Mutterblick dich leise zugedeckt, und Josef hält den Hauch zurück,
Heinrich Reimann, the composer of the tune, held a number of posts, among them conductor, musicologist, music critic, organist at the Berlin Philharmonic, and teacher. The tune is inspired by the folk music from his homeland, Silesia.
Shepherds’ Lullaby
Sleep well, you heavenly boy, sleep well, sweet child. Angels fan you with heavenly winds. We poor shepherds sing for you a sweet little lullaby: Sleep, Son of heaven, sleep.
Mary, with a motherly look, silently covers you, and Joseph holds his breath,
dass er dich nicht erweckt.
Die Schäflein, die im Stalle sind, verstummen vor dir, Himmelskind. Schlafe, schlafe, Himmelssöhnchen, schlafe!
Bald wirst du groß, dann fliesst dein Blut von Golgatha herab.
Ans Kreuz schlägt dich der Menschen Wut, dann legt man dich ins Grab. O Kind, mach deine Äuglein zu, denn du bedarfst der süssen Ruh. Schlafe, schlafe, Himmelssöhnchen, schlafe!
OLD FRENCH CAROL
so as not to awaken you. The little sheep in the stable fall silent before you, heavenly child. Sleep, Son of heaven, sleep.
Soon, you will grow up, and your blood will flow from Golgotha. The anger of men will crucify you, then they will put you in the grave. O child, close your eyes for you need a sweet rest. Sleep, sleep, Son of heaven, sleep!
Text: Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart
A Maiden Most Gentle (Arranged by Andrew Carter)
The Venerable Bede, or Saint Bede (ca. 673–735), was a monk in the monasteries of Saint Peter in Monkwearmouth and Saint Paul in the Kingdom of Northumbria. A prolific scholar and author, Bede wrote extensive commentaries on Biblical texts, scientific treatises, homilies,
A Maiden Most Gentle
A maiden most gentle and tender, we sing of Mary, the Mother of Jesus our King. Ave, ave, ave Maria!
How bless’d is the birth of her heavenly child, who came to redeem us in Mary so mild. Ave, ave, ave Maria!
The archangel Gabriel foretold by his call the Lord of creation and Savior of all. Ave, ave, ave Maria!
Three kings came to worship with gifts rich and rare and marveled in awe at the babe in her care. Ave, ave, ave Maria!
Rejoice and be glad at this Christmas we pray; sing praise to the Savior, sing endless “Ave.” Ave, ave, ave Maria!
Text: Andrew Carter
saints’ biographies, hymns, and poems. His most famous work is the Ecclesiastical History of the English People
Andrew Carter’s adaptation of Bede’s text and reworking of a French carol was written in 1978 for the nuns of St. Mary’s Convent in York.
TRADITIONAL ENGLISH CAROL
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Arrangement Gerald Wirth)
“God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” has its roots in the seventeenth century. It was found in a manuscript from 1650 and in a broadsheet from 1760. The carol, whose author is unknown, was included in William Sandys’s seminal anthology of 1833, Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern. In 1843 the carol achieved literary fame when Dickens used the lyrics in “A Christmas Carol”: . . . at the first sound of “God bless ye merry, gentlemen! May nothing you dismay!,” Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action that the singer fled in terror, leaving the keyhole to the fog
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. For Jesus Christ our Savior was born on Christmas day to save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray. O tidings of comfort and joy!
In Bethlehem in Jewry this blessed Babe was born and laid within a manger upon this blessed morn to which His Mother, Mary, did nothing take in scorn.
O tidings of comfort and joy!
From God, our heavenly Father, a blessed angel came and unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same: how that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name.
O tidings of comfort and joy!
and even more congenial frost. George Eliot refers to the carol in her 1861 novel Silas Marner. It is possible that the carol was sung by the town waits in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century England. Originally, waits were town guards, but in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, they were simultaneously employed as town musicians, performing at public functions. It was customary for the waits to visit the houses of their town’s gentlemen at Christmas, a practice that survived to this day—there are still waits carolling in English towns and villages.
ADOLPHE ADAM
Born July 24, 1803; Paris, France
Died May 3, 1856; Paris, France
O Holy Night (Arranged by Gerald Wirth)
“O Holy Night” (Cantique de Noël) was composed as a Christmas carol; its poet was an atheist, and its composer a Jew. In December 1847, the curate of a village church in Roquemaure (Côtes du Rhône, France) asked Placide Cappeau, resident freethinker (an atheist, no less) and part-time poet, to write a Christmas poem for a fundraiser to finance the church’s stained-glass windows. A singer named Emily Laurey, who happened to be staying in the village, came across the poem and gave it to her friend Adolphe Adam to set to music, and the rest, as they say, is history. The audience loved the sweeping tune, and today, the tune is firmly associated with Christmas.
O Holy Night
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining; it is the night of the dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error, pining till He appeared, and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
The song’s two authors took a more general approach—Cappeau kept wanting to change the words to something more pantheistic, and Adam referred to the piece as a “religious Marseillaise.” For years, most of the French clergy loathed it passionately, and theologians and musicologists wrote spiteful articles condemning the performance in a church, some criticism appearing as late as the 1930s, almost a century after “Cantique” was first performed.
The English version of the text was written in the 1850s by American clergyman John Sullivan Dwight.
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming, with glowing hearts by His cradle we stand. So, led by light of a star sweetly gleaming, here came the wise men from Orient land. The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger, in all our trials born to be our friend. He knows our need, to our weaknesses is no stranger. Behold your King, before him lowly bend!
English Text: John Sullivan Dwight
JAY LIVINGSTON
Born March 28, 1915; McDonald, Pennsylvania
Died October 17, 2001; Los Angeles, California
Silver Bells from The Lemon Drop Kid
“Silver Bells” was written for the film The Lemon Drop Kid (1950–51), a gangster comedy starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. The song’s inspiration came from observing Christmas in the city, with its bright lights, window displays, throngs of shoppers, and carolers singing outside department stores.
Together, songwriters Livingston and Evans—who met as students at the University of Pennsylvania—received four Academy Award nominations and three awards: in 1948 for
Silver Bells
Christmas makes you feel emotional, it may bring parties or thoughts devotional. Whatever happens or what may be, here is what Christmas means to me:
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style. In the air, there’s a feeling of Christmas. Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile. And on ev’ry street corner, you’ll hear:
Silver bells, silver bells, It’s Christmas time in the city. Ring-a-ling, hear them ring, soon it will be Christmas Day.
Strings of street lights, even stop lights blink a bright red and green as the shoppers rush home with their treasures.
Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch; this is Santa’s big scene.
And above all this bustle, you’ll hear . . .
Text: Ray Evans
“Buttons and Bows” in the film The Paleface, in 1950 for Nat King Cole’s classic “Mona Lisa” in Captain Carey, USA, and in 1956 for the Doris Day hit “Que Sera, Sera” in The Man Who Knew Too Much
The duo wrote the television theme songs for Bonanza and Mister Ed. A staggering twenty-six of their songs sold over a million records, with total record sales exceeding 400 million. “Silver Bells” has sold 160 million records.
HOWARD BLAKE
Born October 28, 1938; London, England
Walking in the Air from The Snowman (Arranged by Gwyn Arch)
Howard Blake wrote the song for the animated film The Snowman, based on Raymond Briggs’s book. Both the book and the film are a significant part of the English Christmas season.
Walking
in the Air
We’re walking in the air, we’re floating in the moonlit sky; the people far below are sleeping as we fly.
I’m holding very tight, I’m riding in the midnight blue, I’m finding I can fly so high above with you.
Far across the world, the villages go by like dreams, the rivers and the hills, the forests and the streams.
Children gaze open-mouthed, taken by surprise; nobody down below believes their eyes.
We’re surfing in the air, we’re swimming in the frozen sky, we’re drifting over icy mountains, floating by.
Suddenly swooping low on an ocean deep, rousing up a mighty monster from his sleep.
We’re walking in the air, we’re dancing in the midnight sky, and everyone who sees us greets us as we fly.
A small boy builds a snowman, who comes to life, and, together, the pair explores the world. The snowman takes the boy on a nightly flight to the North Pole.
MYKOLA LEONTOVYCH
Born December 13, 1877; Selevynzi (now Monastyrok), Ukraine
Died January 25, 1921; Markivka, Ukraine
Shchedryk
The original Ukrainian “Shchedryk” is a shchedrivka (New Year’s carol), traditionally sung on Malanka or Shchedry Vechir (bountiful evening), the Ukrainian New Year’s Eve (January 13). Like most songs of this genre, “Shchedryk” looks into the year ahead. It longs for swallows and an early spring, invoking dreams, a luscious wife for the farmer, wealth, and a rich harvest—a kind of positive horoscope. Leontovych’s composition
Щедрик
Щедрик, щедрик, щедрiвочка,
прилeтiла ластiвочка,
стала собi щебетати,
господаря викликати:
“Вийди, вийди, господарю,
подивися на кошару,
там овечки покотились,
а ягнички народились.
В тебе товар весь хороший,
будеш мати мiрку грошей,
хоч не грошей, то полова:
в тебе жiнка чорноброва.”
Щедрик, щедрик, щедрiвочка, прилeтiла ластiвочка.
Shchedryk (Transliteration)
Shchedryk, shchedryk, shchedrivochka, pryletila lastivochka, stala sobi shchebetaty, hospodarya vyklykaty: “Vyydy, vyydy, hospodaryu, podyvysya na kosharu, tam ovechky pokotylys, a yahnychky narodylys. V tebe tovar ves khoroshyy, budesh maty mirku hroshey, khoch ne hroshey, to polova: v tebe zhinka chornobrova.”
is based on an old tune with supposedly magical powers. It was first performed in Kyiv in 1916.
“Shchedryk” traveled across Europe and North America in the 1920s with the Ukrainian Republican Capella Choir, conducted by Leontovych, attracting the critics’ attention. Today, it is hugely popular in the United States and Canada, with a Christmassy English text under its alias “Carol of the Bells.”
Shchedryk
Bountiful, bountiful, bountiful evening, a swallow flew into the house and began to sing, to call the landlord: “Come out of the house, come, master, look at the sheep in their pen, where the ewes have given birth, and the lambs have been born. Your livestock is thriving, you will be rich.
If you have no money, you will have chaff, and you have a black-eyebrowed wife.”
Bountiful, bountiful, bountiful evening, a swallow flew into the house.
EDUARD EBEL
Born August 7, 1839; Stargard, West Prussia (now Poland)
Died January 30, 1905; Halle, Germany
Leise rieselt der Schnee (Arranged by Gerald Wirth)
Eduard Ebel, a Protestant theologian, wrote the song around 1900. He uses wintry images to conjure up a Christmassy landscape and emotions to match. The spirit of Christmas, then, helps keep your cares at bay, and everyone looks forward to the coming of the Christ Child who brings peace.
In German-speaking countries, both Saint Nicholas and the Christ Child bring gifts at Christmas. The tradition of the Christ Child as a gift-giver is credited to Martin Luther to counter the catholic veneration of Saint Nick while maintaining the rather useful custom of giving gifts to each other. Nowadays, the Christ Child is widely popular throughout all denominations.
Leise rieselt der Schnee
Leise rieselt der Schnee, still und starr liegt der See, Weihnachtlich glänzet der Wald. Freue dich, Christkind kommt bald!
In den Herzen ist’s warm Still schweigt Kummer und Harm, Sorge des Herzens verhallt: freue dich, Christkind kommt bald.
Softly falls the snow
Softly falls the snow, still and motionless lies the lake, the forest sparkles with Christmas. Be happy, the Christ Child is coming!
In the hearts it is warm, sorrow and pain are silent, and your heart’s pain dies off: be happy, the Christ Child is coming!
HOLIDAY MEDLEY
MELCHIOR FRANK
Born ca. 1579; Zittau, Germany
Died June 1, 1639; Coburg, Germany
O Tannenbaum
“O Tannenbaum” began as a love song sung by students in Silesia. The song praised the fir tree as a model of constancy—its leaves do not change color, and green is the color traditionally associated with fidelity, trust, new beginnings, spring, and hope. In the Middle Ages, green was a sign of love, and the German idiom jemandem grün sein (to be green toward someone) means to like them. In 1820 August Zarnack published the tune and its first verse, which did not mention Christmas at all. Around this time, the custom of putting up a decorated fir
O Tannenbaum
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum, wie treu sind deine Blätter.
Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit, nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum, wie grün sind deine Blätter!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum, du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
Wie oft hat schon zur Winterszeit ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum, du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum, dein Kleid will mich was lehren: die Hoffnung und Beständigkeit gibt Mut und Kraft zu jeder Zeit.
O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum, dein Kleid will mich was lehren.
tree at Christmas became popular in Germany, and four years later, Ernst Anschütz, a teacher from Leipzig, added verses two and three. From then on, “O Tannenbaum” became a favorite Christmas carol.
A simple and memorable song, “O Tannenbaum” comes in many guises; its tune is used for the state songs of Iowa, Maryland, and Michigan, and it is the former state song of Florida. As the melody in “The Red Flag,” it was first sung by the British Labour Party in 1945. There are countless satirical spoof versions.
O Christmas tree
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree, how constant your leaves are. You are green not only in summer, but also in winter, in snow.
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree, how green your leaves are.
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree, you really please me. Often, in winter, (the sight of) a fir tree has filled me with glee.
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree, you really please me.
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree, your leaves can teach me: hope and constance instill courage and energy at all times.
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree, your leaves can teach me.
Text: Joachim August Zarnack, Ernst Anschütz
HUGH MARTIN
Born August 11, 1914; Birmingham, Alabama
Died March 11, 2011; Encinitas, California
RALPH BLANE
Born July 26, 1914; Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Died November 13, 1995; Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Written during World War II, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was first sung by twenty-one-year-old Judy Garland in Vincente Minelli’s musical film Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light. From now on, our troubles will be out of sight. Have yourself a merry little Christmas, make the yuletide gay; from now on, our troubles will be miles away.
Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore. Faithful friends who are dear to us gather near to us once more. Through the years, we all will be together if the fates allow.
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough, and have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
JAMES LORD PIERPONT
Born April 25, 1822; Boston, Massachusetts
Died August 5, 1893; Winter Haven, Florida
Jingle Bells
“Jingle Bells” was first published in 1857 under the name “One Horse Open Sleigh.” It is not a Christmas carol but a song about sleigh races in Massachusetts, where James Pierpont was born. Pierpont led a wild and unsettled life. At fourteen, he ran away to sea (aboard a ship named Shark), and later, he joined the gold rush in California, where he worked as a photographer.
The original lyrics, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas; it may be your last. Next year, we may all be living in the past,” were altered because Garland felt they were too gloomy.
He lost all his possessions in a fire and returned to Massachusetts. In 1853 Pierpont followed his brother John to Savannah, Georgia, where he took up a post as organist. By 1860 John was back in the North, but James stayed, fighting for the Confederacy and writing battle songs, such as “We Conquer or Die.”
“Jingle Bells” is often parodied, and it may have been the first song broadcast from space. In December 1965, Gemini 6 astronauts Tom Stafford and Walter “Wally” Schirra reported
Jingle Bells
Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh o’er the fields we go, laughing all the way. Bells on bobtails ring, making spirits bright. What fun it is to laugh and sing a sleighing song tonight.
Chorus
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh!
A day or two ago, I thought I’d take a ride, and soon, Miss Fanny Bright was seated by my side. The horse was lean and lank; misfortune seemed his lot. We got into a drifted bank, and then we got upsot.
Chorus
Now the ground is white, go it while you’re young. Take the girls tonight and sing this sleighing song. Just get a bobtailed bay, two-forty as his speed, hitch him to an open sleigh and crack! you’ll take the lead.
Chorus
seeing a command module with eight smaller modules in front, with a pilot in a red suit. The sighting prompted Schirra to play “Jingle Bells” on his harmonica.
Vienna Boys Choir
The Vienna Boys Choir is one of the world’s oldest and most famous choirs. Boys have been singing at Vienna’s Imperial Chapel since at least 1296. In 1498 Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I established a court chapel in Vienna, where he declared that there were to be boys among the singers, thus laying the foundation for the Vienna Boys Choir. Today, the former imperial ensemble is a private, non-profit organization with a primary, middle, and high school for 330 boys and girls between the ages of six and nineteen with a focus on singing and choral music. The Vienna Boys Choir, added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list, offers education open to all, regardless of origin, gender, nationality, or religion.
The four boys choirs perform almost 300 concerts per year, with almost half a million people attending. Since 1924 the choirs have completed more than 1000 tours in 100 different countries, clocking up a staggering 29,000 concerts.
At the Sunday services in Vienna’s Imperial Chapel, the choirs sing with members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the men’s chorus of the Vienna State Opera. They have performed with orchestras conducted by Joana Mallwitz, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Christian Thielemann, Simone Young, and Franz Welser-Möst. Appearances include the Salzburg Festival and the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s concert.
The Vienna Boys Choir partners with UNICEF and several other charities. In 2023 the Choir celebrated its 525th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Deutsche Grammophon released a live album of the anniversary concert in Vienna’s Musikverein, Decca Classics released a box set of twenty-one CDs, and Böhlau released a book on the Choir’s history. In 2024 the Vienna Boys Choir and the Vienna Girls Choir jointly received the European Culture Award.
Erasmus Baumgartner has been serving as artistic director of the Vienna Boys Choir and the entire Campus Augarten since 2023, and the Choir’s president is Erich Arthold.
Manolo Cagnin Choirmaster
Born and raised in Treviso, Italy, Manolo Cagnin developed an interest in music early in life. As a child, he studied violin and viola at the Conservatory of Venice and later went on to study choral music, conducting, and composition in Venice and Milan. He completed his studies in Leipzig under Kurt Masur and Fabio Luisi.
In Leipzig, Cagnin served as assistant to the Thomanerchor’s artistic director, Georg Christoph Biller. He was music director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra’s 2007 production of La Tragédie de Carmen.
In 2008 Cagnin was named conductor of one of the four touring choirs. He has since led the Choir on numerous tours around the world. In Vienna, Cagnin conducts the ensemble’s choral concerts and opera productions at the Choir’s own concert hall, MuTh. In addition, he prepares the boys for the sung services at the Imperial Court Chapel and for appearances with Vienna’s
State Opera and Volksoper, as well as sound and video recordings. He regularly coaches the boys for performances with major orchestras, such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Staatskapelle Dresden, and Los Angeles Philharmonic under conductors including Mariss Jansons, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, and Michael Tilson Thomas.
Manolo Cagnin finds working with the boys particularly rewarding. “They possess character and spirit. This is reflected in the way they make music. The children learn from me, and I learn from them.” He takes great care to match his Choir’s repertoire to the boys’ personalities and voices.
A spirited and charismatic conductor, Cagnin feels it is vital to communicate with the audience. “Music is a gift. As musicians, we have the obligation to share it. When you listen to us, we want to put a smile on your face.”
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Chorus
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