Category: Christmas Songs

Angels We Have Heard

Gloria in Excelsis Deo. “Glory to God in the Highest.” In his book “Amazing Grace 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories of Daily Devotions, 2nd Edition,” Kenneth Osbeck writes:

“The Bible teaches that angels are the ministering servants of God and that they are continually being sent to help and protect us, the heirs of Salvation. Certainly, their most important task, however, was this momentous occasion announcing Christ’s arrival on earth!”

Prayer Improvisations ChristmasTo ease your mind, heart, and soul on this Lord’s Day. Listen to Peter Vantine in his piano solo recording of this French Carol, while you reflect on Luke 2:14 New International Version (NIV):

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Are you an heir of Salvation? When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You become an heir of Salvation and have Peace that transcends all understanding because God’s favor rests on you.

Listen on Spotify if you’re a subscriber or YouTube. This is the Dec. 27 Song Blog from (my) Julie-Ann Joy’s 2020 Christmas Playlist. Check back everyday until New Year’s Day as I add another song to my playlist.

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Joy To The World

“Let heaven and nature sing, Joy to the world the Lord has Come!” This is the reason the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated by Christians around the world. The Lord has come to earth. JOY Album - Steven Curtis Chapman Hymn writer and English Christian minister, Isaac Watts wrote this song. It was first published in England in 1833, and popularized by American church music composer, Lowell Mason.

Hymnologist Kenneth Osbeck writes, “‘Joy to the World’ is a paraphrase of the last part of Psalm 98.” He also adds “…this psalm was intended by Watts to be a New Testament expression of praise. It exalts the salvation that began when God became incarnate…”

Jesus is “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” He came as a baby and grew up to be a man who was without sin. The perfect sacrifice to atone (make amends) for the sins of man. The Messiah (Savior).  William Peterson writes “We need to look back and praise God for the glorious gift of his Son, Jesus. But we should also look forward to Christ’s return, when God will bring a righteous conclusion to all things. Then we will begin to fully enjoy the ‘wonders of His love’ for all eternity.”

Listen to this recording and arrangement that is full of Joy for Jesus’ birth and expectation for his second coming. Steven is joined by the The African Children’s Choir sounding like angelic voices singing out loud “Joy To The World.” Listen on Spotify  if you’re a subscriber or YouTube.

This is the Dec. 25 Song Blog from (my) Julie-Ann Joy’s 2020 Christmas Playlist. Check back everyday until New Year’s Day as I add another song to my playlist.

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O Holy Night (piano solo)

Four days until we celebrate Christmas here in America. As I write this blog I am reminded by the news that the Christmas Star, that hasn’t appeared in 800 years, will shine brightly tonight! Prayer Improvisations Christmas

One of the most beloved classic Christmas carol is “O Holy Night.” The origins of the lyrics come from the Christmas poem “Cantique de Noël” written by French poet Placide Cappeau in 1843.  The composer Adolphe Adams set the poem to music in 1847, and then the poem was translated to English by minister and abolitionist John Sullivan Dwight in 1855.

This piano solo arrangement by Peter Vantine captures the reverence of the night Jesus Christ was born. Peter begins with musical notes that somewhat depict the motion of a mother rocking her child to sleep in her arms. Can you imagine the blessed Virgin Mary with Jesus in her arms as she soothes and rocks him to sleep?

Now imagine the angelic voices as they sing and proclaim the birth of the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus Christ the savior of the world is born! Finally, imagine everyone who came to see the baby Jesus and falling on their knees in awe and reverence for the fulfillment of prophecy. Try to think of the lyrics as you listen to this recording and  reflect on the words. Listen on Spotify if you’re a subscriber or YouTube.

This is the Dec. 21 Song Blog from (my) Julie-Ann Joy’s 2020 Christmas Playlist. Check back everyday until New Year’s Day as I add another song to my playlist.

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What Child Is This?

This week I’m blogging about songs that focus on the meaning and reason Christmas is celebrated by Christians around the world. Christmas Romance - Jim Brickman

Greensleeves is a traditional English folk song that dates back to 1500. The writer of this song is unknown. Today, the tune of this song is associated with the Christmas hymn “What Child Is This?” The hymn text is part of a Christmas poem written by William Dix called “The Manger Throne.”

This arrangement begins with the chorus or refrain played by the harp. The harp is a stringed musical instrument that was popular in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance Period, around the same time this English Folk Tune became popular. This recording highlights the ethereal sound of the harp and I’m imagining angels singing “This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing…” The harp and piano playing beautifully and blending to create a delightful and heavenly sound together.

Listen on Spotify if you’re a subscriber or YouTube.

Chorus:
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The babe, the son of Mary.

Stanza 1
What child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping?

Stanza 2
Why lies He in such mean estate, where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here, the silent Word is pleading.

Stanza 3
So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh, come, peasant, king, to own him.
The King of kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone him.

This is the Dec. 20 Song Blog from (my) Julie-Ann Joy’s 2020 Christmas Playlist. Check back everyday until New Year’s Day as I add another song to my playlist.

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O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Prayer Improvisations ChristmasAn evening  blog about the real meaning of Christmas. This piano solo is the bonus track of the Prayerful Improvisations Christmas album. We’ve been through many trials and challenges during this pandemic that shook us. And we didn’t know it would change our lives drastically. Now more than ever the world needs a Savior.

Two thousand years ago, the Jewish people cried out for the promised Messiah to come and save them from captivity in Babylon. The birth of Jesus Christ announced in Luke 2:11 in the Bible is the fulfillment of prophecy for the long-awaited Messiah. John 3:16 says “For God so Loved the World that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus is the Son of God who came to live among us and then died on the cross for the sin of mankind, so that when we accept Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior, we are reconciled to God and live through all eternity .

Based on the chant or plainsong, Kenneth Osbeck writes “‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ was originally used in medieval church liturgy as a series of antiphons sung for the week of Vesper services just before Christmas Eve.” Each stanza (verse) below is about the different biblical names of Jesus Christ: Emmanuel-God with us; Wisdom from on high; Desire of nations; and Dayspring. Today, this hymn is sung in churches as Christians prepare for Christmas which is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth.

Stanza 1  Stanza 3 
O come, O come, Emmanuel, O come, Desire of nations, bind
And ransom captive Israel, All people in one heart and mind;
That mourns in lonely exile here Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
Until the Son of God appear. Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel. shall come to thee, O Israel.
Stanza 2  Stanza 4 
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
And order all things, far and nigh; Our spirits by Thine advent here;
To us the path of knowledge show, Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And cause us in her ways to go. And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel. shall come to thee, O Israel.

This recording is a reflective musical interpretation of the song.  Imagine the opening musical notes representing  the heavens and the space between heaven and earth. The oboe then plays the melody as if praying to God to send Emmanuel.

Listen to Peter’s piano solo arrangement and performance on Spotify if you’re a subscriber or watch the video on YouTube. This is the Dec. 18 Song Blog from (my) Julie-Ann Joy’s 2020 Christmas Playlist. Check back everyday until New Year’s Day as I add another song to my playlist.

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It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

The Christmas AlbumThis Christmas carol is a poem written by Edmund Sears in 1849. The poem was set to music by Richard Storrs Willis in 1850. According to “The Complete Book of Hymns,” the writer, Edmund Sears was a minister who believed in the deity of Christ and the angels’ message of “Peace on Earth.”

The hymn describes the night when suddenly the angels appeared to shepherds in the field, declaring the birth of Jesus Christ. (Luke 2:13-14)

The stanzas or verses encourages us to stop and listen to the Christmas message sang by the angels even in the midst of the global challenges we are experiencing today.

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth 
To touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heaven’s all-gracious King!”
The world in solemn stillness lay 
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heav’nly music floats
O’er all the weary world: 
Above its sad and lowly plains 
They bend on hov’ring wing,
And ever o’er its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing: 
O rest beside the weary road 
And hear the angels sing.

For lo, the days are hast’ning on,
By prophet seen of old,
When with the ever-circling years
Shall come the time foretold, 
When the new heav’n and earth shall own
The Prince of Peace their King,
And the whole world send back the song
Which now the angels sing.

The peace that Jesus Christ brings is “Peace which transcends all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7) This recording truly captures what I could only imagine as the sound of angelic voices singing in a choir. Listen on Spotify if you’re a subscriber or YouTube.

This is the Dec. 17 Song Blog from (my) Julie-Ann Joy’s 2020 Christmas Playlist. Check back everyday until New Year’s Day as I add another song to my playlist.

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Holly and the Ivy

As I write this blog I see SNOW outside my window! Well, at least enough snow to cover my car. It’s freezing and beginning to feel like winter. While listening to this song, I’m reminiscing back to my college madrigal ensemble.

The writer/composer of this traditional British folk Christmas carol dating back to the Medieval times is unknown. It was one of the songs we performed at Madrigal Dinners. Prayer Improvisations Christmas We also performed this carol while touring England right after Christmas until the New Year. I had the joy of singing with my college madrigal ensemble all over England in two separate trips.

In the Prayerful Improvisations Christmas album, Peter Vantine creates an ambiance for the listener to sit in quiet reflection of the lyrics, with his sweet and gentle piano solo performance of this carol.  Taken from Sharp’s English Folk-Carols (1911):

Stanza 1 Stanza 2
The holly and the ivy, The holly bears a blossom,
When they are both full grown, As white as the lily flower,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ,
The holly bears the crown. To be our sweet Saviour.
The rising of the sun The rising of the sun
And the running of the deer, And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir. Sweet singing in the choir.
Stanza 3 Stanza 4
The holly bears a berry, The holly bears a prickle,
As red as any blood, As sharp as any thorn,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to do us sinners good. On Christmas Day in the morn.
The rising of the sun The rising of the sun
And the running of the deer, And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir. Sweet singing in the choir.
Stanza 5 Stanza 6
The holly bears a bark, The holly and the ivy,
As bitter as any gall, When they are both full grown,
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ Of all the trees that are in the wood,
For to redeem us all. The holly bears the crown.
The rising of the sun The rising of the sun
And the running of the deer, And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ, The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir. Sweet singing in the choir.

Peter’s arrangement starts in a low key and then he almost inconspicuously modulates to the original key by the end of the song. Listen on Spotify if you’re a subscriber or YouTube.

This is the Dec. 16 Song Blog from (my) Julie-Ann Joy’s 2020 Christmas Playlist. Check back everyday until New Year’s Day as I add another song to my playlist.

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We Wish You A Merry Christmas

All my Christmas cards are sent and it’s ten (10) days until Christmas. As the countdown starts and we begin greeting each other with “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays,” here’s what I’ve gathered about the origins of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” Christmas Romance - Jim Brickman

While the writers are unknown for this universal Christmas greeting, Arthur Warrell is given credit for its world-wide popularity. This song was performed by carolers in the Victorian Era. Carolers were a group or ensemble of singers who went to the homes of wealthy families singing Christmas songs (carols) door-to-door. Traditionally, they were rewarded with dessert treats after their performance.

Filipinos love music and singing. When I was a child, my Mom was the Choir Director of our church choir. During the week of Christmas, my Mom brought our church choir to homes of church members who hosted a gathering and enjoyed having traditional Christmas carols performed in their homes. I remembered tagging along with my parents and eating all night long at different homes because the host homes didn’t only reward the choir with dessert treats but a whole meal!

In Jim Brickman’s solo piano recording of this Christmas Carol, he performs several variations of the song infused with improvisational jazz elements that gives a little more sparkle to the melody. Listen on Spotify if you’re a subscriber or YouTube.

This is the Dec. 15 Song Blog from (my) Julie-Ann Joy’s 2020 Christmas Playlist. Check back everyday until New Year’s Day as I add another song to my playlist.

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The Christmas Song

First recorded in 1946 by the Nat King Cole trio, it was written by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé in 1945.  It’s also sub-titled “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.” The imagery painted at the beginning of this Christmas classic didn’t become a reality to me until I lived in my first studio apartment in Boston, Massachusetts. While living in New England, I enjoyed an open fireplace and dressing up like an Eskimo every winter. The Christmas Album

Until now, I wasn’t aware that American jazz singer, musician, and legend Mel Tormé, who began his professional singing career at age 4, was  the composer of this song. It’s only fitting then that it’s included in “The Christmas Album” by a vocal jazz quartet.

Your ears will be delighted listening to this recording that’s smooth as silk, just like the velvet voice of its composer, Mel Tormé.

Listen on Spotify if you’re a subscriber or YouTube. This is the Dec. 14 Song Blog from (my) Julie-Ann Joy’s 2020 Christmas Playlist. Check back everyday until New Year’s Day as I add another song to my playlist.

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A Christmas Love Song

Next on the list of my Christmas Love Songs weekend is composed and vocally arranged by Johnny Mandel with lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman. Johnny Mandel was also the co-producer of “The Christmas Album” by The Manhattan Transfer (TMT). The song begins with “All I want for Christmas is you. You’re the gift that’s made my dreams all come true.” The Christmas Album This song captures the kind of love relationship between two people whose love deepens through time and continues to grow each year they celebrate Christmas together. “A Christmas Love Song” is an endearing musical expression of the precious gift of True Love.

In addition to the wonderful harmonies flowing from TMT’s vocal chemistry, you’ll also enjoy the lush orchestral arrangement with bells, chimes, and strings sweeping throughout this romance invoking song.

Listen on Spotify if you’re a subscriber or YouTube. This is the Dec. 12 Song Blog from (my) Julie-Ann Joy’s 2020 Christmas Playlist. Check back everyday until New Year’s Day as I add another song to my playlist.

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