Can you share your favourites, both as listener and as performer for either 9 Lessons and Carols, Midnight Mass or Xmas Day?
I guess the piece should be really celebratory and joyful, so what is a good fit for that?...

I did my own compilation last year, I picked a handful of old traditional carols that hadn't made it into any of the services like 'Sans Day carol' and 'The Angel Gabriel' and improvised links between them the congregation really enjoyed it and joined in with quite a few.

Saint-Saens E flat fantasie ?

Is that specifically seasonal or just a good rousing piece to fit the mood?

Hardly the most original thing but I often chuck some Daquin in there.

Although it is hardly great music, Thiman's Postlude on 'Adeste Fidelis' is popular and seasonal. It is also quite easy.

Barry Williams

the latter.

I may ask our DoM to play "Fairytale of New York" at Xmas morning Mass. It's such a lovely tune...

Not heard of that one, Confutatis - is it sacred or secular?
From what I gather both here and in the Other Place, there will be a truly awe-inspiring range of musical offerings vibrating through the ether to the Almighty.
I daresay there will be those who will sniff at Walking in the Air, RTRNR and the like (you may be one of them).
I am undecided yet - it depends what sounds halfway presentable at the practice session before.

Depends on your point of view...


Anything done well is great in my book.

Off at a slight tangent, but why does every single carol service have to follow the 'Nine lessons and..' format? What used to happen before? I think that Bishop of Truro, whoever he was, has a lot to answer for. I'm not at all anti-tradition - but this is a relatively modern one, and just seems hide bound now. Please can we do something else? Particularly if we're nowhere near Cambridge. Or Truro.

(Bored with carol services already and it's only dec 5 )

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Anything done well is great in my book.
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Yes, that's the tricky bit......

Dont forget the Bach 'In Dulci Jubilo'

Which one?

The loudest one

Dont forget the Bach 'In dulci Jubilo'

So you keep saying! I don't think there's any chance we will be able to at this rate....

Perhaps fsharpminor is stuck in a time-warp?

No idea how that happened !

Budge up, fsm because I'm doing that one as well - after tonight's practice that is my new emergency Christmas postlude. But are we talking about the same one? There are more arrangements of In Dulce Jubilo than you can shake a stick at, but I'm hoping this will sound joyous if I can only find the right registration.

Mine is only attributed to JS, but the name at the top is of one of his progeny and is so easy it might even be a pushover for jch's student, given that the pedal consists of a drone that goes on forever.

Ah, the 3/4 one! Nope, probably not by Bach (or a very young Bach if it was), but worthwhile nevertheless.

And before anyone leaps in to correct me I know it's not a drone, but it does drone on.

It's not the only one!

Just compare the number of posts, HG - the numbers can't lie!

Ah, but we're talking about quantity AND quality there!

Or perhaps not....

I think this year i might steer clear of the traditional christmas voluntaries:

Main Carol Service: Toccata from Symphonie-Improvisee (Cochereau)

Christingle : Toccata on God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen (Rutter)

Midnight Mass : Hallelujah Chorus

Christmas Day : Widor Toccata

I'm not sure i can face Dieu Parmi Nous again this year...

Not required over Christmas this year, but I used to stick to variations on the following:

Last Sunday before Christmas: Toccata on 'Veni Emmanuel', Carter
9 Lessons/Carols Vierne I Final
Christingle: Fiat Lux, Dubois
Christmas Eve: Widor Toccata
Christmas Morning: Sortie in Eb, LFW (yes, that one!)

I've just read in a CD sleeve that J. Michael Bach (the culprit) was J.S's father-in-law

How did he manage that?

For Xmas eve, I 've considered Widor but don't really fancy it.
Sortie in E-flat - tickled to see it in someone else's list,
Toccatina (Yon) - do we have to end loud?
but as of yesterday the favourite was the Carillon de Longpoint from Vierne 24 pieces

Not sure about the Toccatinas appropriateness, though nice before the service perhaps?
The Vierne Carillon? nice idea... go for it!

This year I'll give Thomas Trotter's arrangement of Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride an outing for the first time. It was a kind gift from one of my basses last year.

After some of the drunken antics at midnight mass in previous years, I almost think playing them out to "Show me the way to go home" might be appropriate!

Given the irregularity with which these people come to church, perhaps "We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when", might be even more appropriate!

I shall look forward to hearing all of this kind of thing in a new thread after Christmas. (Now we are probably doomed to a boring uneventful season)