Sacred Christmas Music

Take a musical journey in time--from the dawn of the Church's liturgical song through the Baroque's great choral and instrumental works to representative pieces of the 20th century. This is the sacred tradition of Christmas music, explored here in a stunningly illustrated book and a magnificent CD. It covers vocal and instrumental pieces from a variety of national and historical periods and styles, all of which have earned a place in the canon of great musical masterpieces. Not only will musicians and non-musicians alike find this an easily accessible guide, but they'll feast on a sumptuous gallery of thematically and historically corresponding full-color art (including a 14th century manuscript illumination and a nativity scene by Fra Angelico), and revel in some of the best recordings of the music ever made. There's rich, interesting background on every work, from Latin hymns and liturgical chants to Bach's cantatas to contemporary carols. The CD includes the Vienna Boys' Choir performing "Anima Nostra"; Arcangelo Corelli's "Christmas Concerto"; The Trappist Monks of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani singing Gregorian Chants; excerpts from Handel's "Messiah"; and the beloved "Silent Night." No other collection brings together all these elements in such an aesthetically pleasing and educational way.

Joy to the World tells the stories behind some of the most wonderful and best-loved songs of the season that express the spiritual sentiments of Christmas. While many other Christmas songs celebrate home and family, romance, and winter weather, the songs whose stories are told here express the underlying reality of the Christmas season between Advent and Epiphany -- the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.The songs in Joy to the World are among the most enduring and permanent of the season's musical traditions. They have stood the test of time and express the many moods and emotions that evoke the spiritual significance of Christmas. Reflecting many eras and different cultures, Joy to the World reveals their origins, the reasons why they were written, and why they are so beloved. The book is organized into six sections of Christmas songs and carols from the Americas, England and Ireland, France and Spain, Germany and Austria, and Greece and Rome, and classical Christmas music. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

(Jazz Piano Solos). 27 timeless Christmas carols in the sacred tradition are presented in jazzy piano solo arrangements including chord names. Songs: Angels We Have Heard on High * Away in a Manger * Deck the Hall * God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen * Good King Wenceslas * The Holly and the Ivy * In the Bleak Midwinter * Joy to the World * O Holy Night * Silent Night * We Three Kings of Orient Are * What Child Is This? * and more.

Award winning composer, arranger, pianist and recording artist Mark Hayes has crafted an exquisite anthology of Christmas arrangements for solo voice, including traditional carols, art songs, masterworks and spirituals. Reflecting the arranger's mastery of vocal accompaniment, the piano partners with the voice in true art song style. Available in medium high and medium low voicings. Titles: * Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella * Away in a Manger * Sing Joy! * Midnight Noel * Gesu Bambino * Silent Night * Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming * O Holy Night * The Coventry, Carol * Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child

(Piano Solo Songbook). New intermediate arrangements of 15 holiday favorites, including: Angels from the Realms of Glory * Away in a Manger * The First Noel * Go Tell It on the Mountain * O Come All Ye Faithful * O Little Town of Bethlehem * Silent Night * and more.

Behind the Christmas songs we love to sing lie fascinating stories that will enrich your holiday celebration. Taking you inside the nativity of over thirty favorite songs and carols, Ace Collins introduces you to people you’ve never met, stories you’ve never heard, and meanings you’d never have imagined. The next time you and your family sing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," you’ll have a new understanding of its message and popular roots. You’ll discover how "Angels from the Realms of Glory," with its sublime lyrics and profound theology, helped usher in a quiet revolution in worship. You’ll learn the strange history of the haunting and powerful "O Holy Night," including the song’s surprising place in the history of modern communications. And you’ll step inside the life of Mark Lowry and find out how he came to pen the words to the contemporary classic "Mary, Did You Know?"Still other songs such as "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" trace back to mysterious origins--to ninth-century monks, nameless clergy, and unknown commoners of ages past. Joining hands with such modern favorites as "White Christmas" and "The Christmas Song," they are part of the legacy of inspiration, faith, tears, love, and spiritual joy that is Christmas. From the rollicking appeal of "Jingle Bells" to the tranquil beauty of "Silent Night," the great songs of Christmas contain messages of peace, hope, and truth. Each in its own way expresses a facet of God’s heart and celebrates the birth of his greatest gift to the world--Jesus, the most wonderful Christmas Song of all.

The remarkable gift of music may be appreciated more at Christmas than at any other time of the year. At parties and church services, at concerts and quiet times at home, music is a thread that weaves through it all and binds us together.