Here are some selections from the album The Bells of Dublin, a Christmas album by The Chieftains and various other artists. Enjoy! (The third selection is a bit of Christmas-themed gallows humor, if you thought that such a thing could exist!)
Your Daily Dose of Christmas
One of the great sopranos left us just a couple of months ago: Jessye Norman, who died September 30 at 74 years of age. Norman was not only an amazing singer with the kind of voice that could fill a cathedral, but she was also extremely versatile, refusing to be typecast or limited in the roles she was able to perform or music she was able to sing. (She was even quoted at one point as saying “Pigeonholes are for pigeons.” Norman had impeccable dramatic control of her voice at all times, and she sang with a stunning clarity that was always something amazing to hear.
This song was actually written for Jessye Norman, by composer Donald Fraser. I haven’t been able to find a whole lot of information about it, but Fraser might have written it while at a party at which Norman was guest of honor. The song’s title is “This Christmastide”, but it is also apparently known as “Jessye’s Carol”. Enjoy!
Share This Post
Your Daily Dose of Christmas
Wow, it’s December already! I remember when I was a kid having adults tell me how much quicker the years go by when you’re older, and like every other kid I suppose, I pretty much blew off that wisdom at the time. After all, it stood in such blazing contrast to my own experience, when the years just ground on by, when the concept of “a year from now” seemed like an eternity. And now…here I am, a mere 48 years old with hopefully quite a few to go, and I find myself sitting here on December 1 saying, “Ye Gods, where did my year go?” Another year over…what have I done?
Those are thoughts for another day…but for now, as December dawns, here is Melissa Ethridge singing the words of John Lennon.
Share This Post
Your Daily Dose of Christmas
Your Daily Dose of Christmas
Your Daily Dose of Christmas
It’s been true since 1993, when I graduated college: I will never not be able to listen to this work without thinking of Dr. Janice Wade. Here is Tchaikovsky’s ever-wonderful Nutcracker Suite.