"What Child Is This?" - arr. Lindsay Goodson

My favorite arrangement of "What Child Is This?" by far....

"Promises to Keep" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

A sweet song about the season...

"Shepherd's Carol" - Bob Chilcott

This is one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs!  Enjoy!  (over and over again... :)

"In dulci jubilo" - arr. R L de Pearsall

Our inaugural GUM-for-Christmas song: "In dulci jubilo."  You will see this in English under titles such as "Good Christian Friends, Rejoice."  I love this arrangement by R. L. de Pearsall.  Enjoy!

"Comfort, Comfort Ye My People" - Bourgeois, White, Canto Deo

One of my favorite, lesser-known hymns.  It is typically sung at Advent, but I think it is applicable year-round.  The Melody is by Louis Bourgeois, 1551; this setting is by David Ashley White (b.1944; who incidentally is at the University of Houston); this performance is by Canto Deo Chamber Choir.  Enjoy!

"Jewett" - Cantus

Another great men's vocal group, Cantus.  I heard this on Prairie Home Companion yesterday, and it reminded me of the William Billings songs I've sung/heard before (see this post).  I couldn't find it on YouTube, so click the 'play' button or the link below to hear it.  Enjoy!

Jewett
http://www.myspace.com/cantusmensinging/music/songs/jewett-79457374

"Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine" - Eric Whitacre

So far, most of the choral pieces posted here have been sacred, but here is an exception.  One of my favorites from Eric Whitacre:

"O Gladsome Light" - Harold Darke

It was fun to talk about this song in choir ("Okay, now we'll work on the Darke."  "You mean the Light?")

"Jesus Christ the Apple Tree" - Elizabeth Poston, Stanford Scriven, Jeremiah Ingalls

As one of my Boston choir directors said, this unique, New England piece compares Jesus Christ to that most-American of trees, the apple tree.  Below are two settings of the text, one by Elizabeth Poston (the most common, it appears, and the first version I heard), and another by Stanford Scriven.

Here also is a link to the only on-line recording I could find of Jeremiah Ingalls' setting, which is my favorite because it is so energetic!
http://www.uchoir.harvard.edu/sounds/IngallsTheAppletree.mp3
(I first heard this setting, as is often the case, you've seen, at a Harvard Carols Service.)

"All we, like sheep" from Handel's Messiah

I love this movement from the Messiah, and not just because I always smile at the title.*  The music and text (below) work so well together, with a simple theme for "All we, like sheep," suggesting the simpleness of mankind relative to God; and fast notes for the words "astray" and "turned," suggesting the wanderings of a lost and scattered flock.

Text:  "All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all."  (Isaiah 53 : 6)

* Sometimes when we are playing "Settlers of Catan," I start singing, "All we lack sheep."

"Haec dies" - William Byrd and Giovanni da Palestrina

It's Easter time!  Time for good music about Jesus' priceless gifts to all mankind.  I first heard this song on a CD that I purchased after a gorgeous concert by the Choir of Saint Thomas Church, New York City (at Christ Church in Cambridge, MA).

A translation of the text is:
"This is the day which the Lord hath made: 
let us be glad and rejoice therein. 
Alleluia."
[More words and translation here.]

This recording - by the Choir of King's College, one of my all-time favorites - includes two settings of the same text.  Enjoy!

"I Will Arise (and Go to Jesus)" - arr. John Carter

This is a hymn from the Southern Harmony, a "shape-note" songbook compiled by William Walker that contains many great early-American hymns (more info here). Enjoy!

"Ubi caritas" - Maurice Durufle

A beautiful song, often sung at weddings.  The first line means "Where charity and love are, God is there."  Below is an English translation.  Enjoy!

Where charity and love are, God is there.

Christ's love has gathered us into one.

Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him.

Let us fear, and let us love the living God.

And may we love each other with a sincere heart.

Where charity and love are, God is there.

As we are gathered into one body,

Beware, lest we be divided in mind.

Let evil impulses stop, let controversy cease,

And may Christ our God be in our midst.

Where charity and love are, God is there.

And may we with the saints also,

See Thy face in glory, O Christ our God:

The joy that is immense and good,

Unto the ages through infinite ages. Amen.

Kyrie from Missa Mater Patris - Josquin des Prez (performed by Chanticleer)

The Missa Mater Patris by Josquin des Prez is my favorite mass, and the Kyrie (below) is my favorite part.  To hear the entire mass, which is ~1/2 hour, check out this playlist.  This recording is by the group Chanticleer - sort of the American equivalent to the King's Singers.

(This is actually a "parody mass" - for more info, click here.)

"Finlandia" - Jean Sibelius (four versions!)

"Finlandia" is one of my favorite melodies - I didn't realize it was written by Sibelius, and I also didn't realize he was Finnish until I looked up this song.  Below are four (count them, four!) versions of this beautiful music.  First is the song in Finnish - although it is not the national anthem, it is one of the most important national songs of Finland (I also found a cool flashmob of this).  Second is Sibelius' symphony.  Third is an English, a capella version of the anthem.  And last is the tune as the hymn "Be Still My Soul."  Enjoy!

"When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt

The Prince of Egypt is one of my all-time favorite movies, in part because of the music.  The people sing this song as they realize they are free and leave the Egyptians.  The music is by Hans Zimmer and Stephen Schwartz (he seems to pop up everywhere!).

"Sleep" - Eric Whitacre: traditional and virtual choir versions, and *original lyrics* version

GUM is back!  Sorry for the downtime :)

I love this piece, "Sleep," by Eric Whitacre.  I love the way it captures the many "emotions," if you will, of falling to sleep.  Sometimes if I'm having trouble falling asleep, I'll sing this in my head and it helps.

I've posted a recording from a traditional (and elite) choir, followed by a recording of Eric Whitacre conducting his "virtual choir" - a very cool use of YouTube (more info here).  Interestingly, this music was originally written to go with Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," but was not published as such due to copyright restrictions (click here for the full story).  That hasn't stopped people from singing it that way, though, and the last video for today is the song as it was originally intended (though I think you could safely argue that either version is the better :)

Enjoy, and pleasant dreams!

"Ye Shall Have a Song" - Randall Thompson

I love the way this song builds and builds, and then suddenly stops for a moment, letting the word "pipe" reverberate in the hall.  During the "goeth with a pipe" section, if you listen carefully, you'll hear the phrase repeated lower and lower through the male parts, from the first tenors to the second basses.  This piece is sometimes sung without the first part (~40 seconds), which is how I sang it with a choir in Boston.  Enjoy!

Matthew Curtis - "Sing Joyfully" (Byrd) and "If Ye Love Me" (Tallis)

Moments ago I discovered this really awesome YouTube channel, "ChoralTracks," where one singer, Matthew Curtis, performs all of the parts for some complex choral pieces.  He shows the sheet music (when it is in the public domain), and has different videos intended for learning each part - the part may be muted, predominant, or come from the left speaker.  Here are a couple of examples, with the parts balanced - enjoy!

"Sing Joyfully" - William Byrd

"If Ye Love Me" - Thomas Tallis

"The Lord Is My Shepherd" - John Rutter

A song of faith, arranged by composer John Rutter.  I love the oboe, and the chant-like portion in the middle.