Sing We Now of Christmas The A Cappella Choir of St. Rose Priory Presented by the Catechetical Guild of St. Paul

Side 1 Sing We Now of Christmas (French carol, arr. D. W. Hanscom)

0 Come, 0 Come Emmanuel (French, 13th century, arr Quinn)

As Joseph Was A-Walking (music by Henry Hallstrom)

Mary the Virgin to Bethlehem Went (Swedish carol, arr Quinn)

0 Magnum Mysternum (Tomas Luis de Victoria)

Side 2

Angels We Have Heard on High (French, arr. Jan Nieland)

When at Christmas (French carol, arr. D. W. Hanscom)

I Wander as I Wander (Appalachian carol, arr J. J. Niles)

The March of the Three Kings (Provencal carol, arr D. S. Smith)

0 Come All Ye faithful (arr. Jon Nieland)

In America, no other time of year can compare with Christmas for its joy and sentiment. But without the remembrance of Christ, this season loses its true meaning. God, who became man in our flesh, is the key, the whole reason for Christmas. Christ was born an infant, and the whole direction of history is viewed from the focal point of Bethlehem, from this event, and later, the final saving death of Christ on the cross, a new and God-given influence works in our world.

This recording preserves the joy and peace of Christmas. These sentiments of joy and peace are related to Jesus Christ, the reason for Christmas. The narrative, taken solely from the Scriptures, retells the birth of Christ in the simple and unassuming words of the evangelists. The music forms a part of the story, commenting upon and emphasizing the events. The music is mostly carols, but in new arrangements which will interest the listener who remains unaffected by the usual renditions of these beloved, popular songs. Some of the carols may be new to the listener; others are the often-heard and time-honored carols, but each one is a part of the rich legacy of song which the birth of Christ has inspired.

The carol Sing We Now of Christmas introduces the record. The narrator then begins to tell the story of Christmas. O Come, O Come Emmanuel follows and reminds us of the years of prophecy and expectation which preceded Christ’s birth. After the narrator tells of Joseph’s dream, a popular interpretation of that event is sung to music by Henry Hallstrom, As Joseph Was A-Walking. The Swedish carol Mary the Virgin to Bethlehem Went accompanies Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. For the actual birth of Christ, no single carol could convey the wonder and beauty of this event. But Tomas Luis de Victoria set the words of the fourth response of matins (of the Divine Office) to music. This work in its grandeur and strength portrays something of the mystery of Bethlehem.

O magnum mysterium et admirabile sacramentum. Ut animalia viderent Dominum natum jacentem in praesepio. Beata Virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt portare Dominum, Jesum Christum.

O great and wondrous mystery! That even animals should behold the newborn Lord

Lying in a manger.

O blessed virgin, who has merited to bear the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Side two begins with the announcement of the mystery to the shepherds. The popular carol Angels We Have Heard on High contains their response. Then at Bethlehem the shepherds express their humble appreciation of their Lord who lay before them in the carol When at Christmas. I Wander as I Wander, the ever-popular Appalachian carol, sums up the wonder and full force of this event in the shepherds’ eyes. The old Provençal carol, The March of the Three Kings, combines with the narrative to tell of the journey and the appearance of the Magi, whose coming symbolizes our own approach to the crib. The record concludes with an appreciation of our role in the Christmas mystery and the singing of O Come All Ye Faithful, the most stirring of our traditional carols.

The performers on this record are members of the Dominican Order, known officially as the Order of Preachers. In this presentation the Dominicans of St. Rose Priory continue their seven-century-old tradition of presenting the truth of Christ. This is the third LP record released by the A Cappella Choir of St. Rose Priory, Province of St. Albert the Great. The other two recordings are The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, sung in English, and I Sing of the Maiden.

The A Cappella Choir of St. Rose Priory is directed by Malachy Quinn, O.P. The scriptural narration was revised by Kieran Redmond, O.P. The narrator is Cyril Dwiggins, O.P. Soloists are Boniface Perry, O.P. — I Wander as I Wander and Angelus Boyd, O.P. — As Joseph Was A-Walking. Isidore Metzger, O.P.; Boniface Perry, O.P.; Valerian Thomas, O.P.; and Philip Umberry, O.P. comprise the solo quartet in O Magnum Mysterium.

(Cum permissu superiorum)

© Copyright 1960 Dominican Publications