Moving past Christmas being a shitshow this year, what are your favourite carols?

[LondonBristolian]

Yes, this year's a bit of a disaster but I thought I'd try to be festive. So, if you had to pick your five favourite carols, what would they be?

For me (in no particular order)

1. In the Bleak Midwinter (absolutely not the US version of the tune...)

2. O Little Town of Bethlehem

3. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

4. O Holy Night

5. Carol of the Bells

[BS2 Red]

Vorderman probably.

[Ziderarmy]

Poborský

[BigTone]

18 hours ago, BS2 Red said:

Vorderman probably.

Carol Smilie maybe

[Bristol Oil Services]

On 20/12/2020 at 17:35, LondonBristolian said:

Yes, this year's a bit of a disaster but I thought I'd try to be festive. So, if you had to pick your five favourite carols, what would they be?

For me (in no particular order)

1. In the Bleak Midwinter (absolutely not the US version of the tune...)

2. O Little Town of Bethlehem

3. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

4. O Holy Night

5. Carol of the Bells

Sussex carol. Wexford carol. The Holly & The Ivy. 

O Holy Night is stunning, hairs-on-the-back-of-the-neck beautiful. Like S82 when we go a goal behind.

In The Bleak Midwinter, love that too. Not familiar with the US version.

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

On 20/12/2020 at 17:35, LondonBristolian said:

1. In the Bleak Midwinter (absolutely not the US version of the tune...)

I only know of two versions of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’.  The more familiar one has music by Gustav Holst, he of The Planets, who despite his name was born in Cheltenham.  The other, more usually sung by choirs, has music by Harold Darke, a lesser-known composer and organist, but entirely British - actually born in Clifton in 1888!  The carol therefore has a very strong connection to our part of the world.  I marginally prefer the Harold Darke setting, but in many ways the settings are surprisingly similar.

Is there another (American) version?

[Taz]

Carol Baskin....

[slartibartfast]

Old Victorian carol, Past 3  O'clock.............particularly this version

 

[phantom]

Carol of the bells sung by a choir in a cathedral takes some beating 

[LondonBristolian]

14 hours ago, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

I only know of two versions of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’.  The more familiar one has music by Gustav Holst, he of The Planets, who despite his name was born in Cheltenham.  The other, more usually sung by choirs, has music by Harold Darke, a lesser-known composer and organist, but entirely British - actually born in Clifton in 1888!  The carol therefore has a very strong connection to our part of the world.  I marginally prefer the Harold Darke setting, but in many ways the settings are surprisingly similar.

Is there another (American) version?

Wow - there you go. I've actually learned something. I'd always thought the Darke version was American (I think I first heard it being done by a US Jazz Choir) and resented it because I was really looking forward to it on the programme of carols and it wasn't the Holst version I expected so I probably never gave it a fair chance as a result. Feel a bit bad now knowing it was a by Bristolian! 

Weirdly I've just remembered that the place I heard said jazz version was Southwark Cathedral and said carol concert had a guest speech by the then Mayor of London, who is our now not terribly popular prime minister...

[slartibartfast]

2 hours ago, LondonBristolian said:

Wow - there you go. I've actually learned something. I'd always thought the Darke version was American (I think I first heard it being done by a US Jazz Choir) and resented it because I was really looking forward to it on the programme of carols and it wasn't the Holst version I expected so I probably never gave it a fair chance as a result. Feel a bit bad now knowing it was a by Bristolian! 

Weirdly I've just remembered that the place I heard said jazz version was Southwark Cathedral and said carol concert had a guest speech by the then Mayor of London, who is our now not terribly popular prime minister...

If you like jazz versions, try this

BTW it's Holst all the way for me .

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

On 21/12/2020 at 21:40, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

I only know of two versions of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’.  The more familiar one has music by Gustav Holst, he of The Planets, who despite his name was born in Cheltenham.  The other, more usually sung by choirs, has music by Harold Darke, a lesser-known composer and organist, but entirely British - actually born in Clifton in 1888!  The carol therefore has a very strong connection to our part of the world.  I marginally prefer the Harold Darke setting, but in many ways the settings are surprisingly similar.

Is there another (American) version?

I used to live just up the road from his birthplace (now a museum)

[Sir Leigh of Somerset]

On 21/12/2020 at 21:40, The Dolman Pragmatist said:

I only know of two versions of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’.  The more familiar one has music by Gustav Holst, he of The Planets, who despite his name was born in Cheltenham.  The other, more usually sung by choirs, has music by Harold Darke, a lesser-known composer and organist, but entirely British - actually born in Clifton in 1888!  The carol therefore has a very strong connection to our part of the world.  I marginally prefer the Harold Darke setting, but in many ways the settings are surprisingly similar.

Is there another (American) version?

This is a bit late in the day and I know it's not quite what you're referring to by 'versions, but this is rather nice...