The previously-promised music vids: first up, a new-to-me tune by offbeat-classical composer Sir Karl Jenkins, from his 2009 release Stella Natalis.

I first heard this one way too early on  Christmas morning, lying in bed in that moggy not-asleep, not-awake state, and frankly, it kinda weirded me out a little bit. After jolting fully awake and recovering from the slight case of the heebie-jeebies it induced, I simply can’t stop listening to it. It’s odd, edgy, abby-normal, not by any means your usual Christmas-music fare. If it had been around back when Tim Burton’s unforgettable Nightmare Before Christmas came out (1993), at least half of the tracks on the Stella Natalis album would have fit in quite nicely for the soundtrack.

Next, one I’d meant to include last week but forgot about: a simply stellar arrangement of one my all-time most beloved Christmas songs.

This one is in heavy rotation on that Irish Christmas-music stream I hipped y’all to last month, and it’s a real beaut. In fact, after repeated listens it’s come to closely rival the powerful Cantus arrangement I’ve run here for a few years running on my own personal bestest-EVAR! list. The backing musical accompaniment is spare as spare gets, unobtrusive yet at the same time indispensable; meanwhile, the intricate, shifting vocal harmonies are so gorgeously lush they make the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up. Overall, the above version is so tight you could bounce a quarter off it, so squeakity-clean you could serve dinner on it. The only real complaint I can make about it is that it’s over too soon.

Hey, Christmas ain’t over till I SAY it’s over, dammit!

Actually, I’m thinking I’ll supplant ol’ Scrooge Picard with the regular CF theme this weekend, which is earlier than I usually would. For many years, I made it my practice to adhere strictly to Elvis’s tradition of leaving the tree and decorations up until January 8th, which was his birthday. But since we started earlier than usual this year with the Christmas makeover, well, what the heck.

Update! The instrument that opens the second song, if I’m not mistaken, is not an oboe but the somewhat-rare English horn, which you could maybe think of as an oboe with bigger balls.

What is the difference between an English horn and an oboe?
An English horn and the oboe both come from the same double-reed family of instruments. The main difference is that the English horn is one and a half times longer than the oboe and features a pear-shaped bell that the oboe does not have. Also, they are considered instruments that are alto and soprano in sound, that is, the English horn and oboe, respectively. They are both double-reed instruments, with the English horn having a wider reed than the oboe.

The English horn is an F instrument that also features a wider reed and metal tube that the reed attaches to. The reed is usually tied together with a metal wire. The oboe is a C instrument that has a thinner reed attached to cork and which fits directly on the main body. The oboe has a higher-pitched sound, while the English horn features a more smooth, darker sound. They both feature the same keys and fingerings, and usually, a musician that can play one can play the other.

It can be said that the oboe and English horn were developed in the late 1600s and early 1700s, but double-reed instruments date back to 2500 BC in the city of Ur. With only three or four holes at that time to play notes and double reed, musicians at that time played their music.

The double reed instruments like the oboe and the English horn have come a long way since their beginnings. They are now primarily manufactured in France and the United States of America as well as England. These are where the elite instruments are currently being made for the orchestras of today.

Never having had much interest in the woodwind family of instruments, I’ve never attempted to learn either the oboe or the English horn. They both make truly beautiful music, so maybe that was a mistake on my part, I dunno.

Yes, it’s here at last. How the time seems to fly by now that I’m old.

Luke Chapter 2
1) And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2) (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6) And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7) And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Let’s just have Linus take it from here, shall we?

Back to Luke for the rest of this epochal story.

15) And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16) And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17) And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18) And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19) But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20) And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

As Mary did, so we should ourselves ponder these things in our hearts, not just on the joyous day of Christmas alone but on what the reborn Ebenezer Scrooge called “every day of the glad New Year.”

But he was early at the office next morning. Oh, he was early there. If he could only be there first, and catch Bob Cratchit coming late! That was the thing he had set his heart upon.

And he did it; yes, he did! The clock struck nine. No Bob. A quarter past. No Bob. He was full eighteen minutes and a half behind his time. Scrooge sat with his door wide open, that he might see him come into the Tank.

His hat was off, before he opened the door; his comforter too. He was on his stool in a jiffy; driving away with his pen, as if he were trying to overtake nine o’clock.

“Hallo!” growled Scrooge, in his accustomed voice, as near as he could feign it. “What do you mean by coming here at this time of day?”

“I am very sorry, sir,” said Bob. “I am behind my time.”

“You are?” repeated Scrooge. “Yes. I think you are. Step this way, sir, if you please.”

“It’s only once a year, sir,” pleaded Bob, appearing from the Tank. “It shall not be repeated. I was making rather merry yesterday, sir.”

“Now, I’ll tell you what, my friend,” said Scrooge, “I am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer. And therefore,” he continued, leaping from his stool, and giving Bob such a dig in the waistcoat that he staggered back into the Tank again; “and therefore I am about to raise your salary!”

Bob trembled, and got a little nearer to the ruler. He had a momentary idea of knocking Scrooge down with it, holding him, and calling to the people in the court for help and a strait-waistcoat.

“A merry Christmas, Bob!” said Scrooge, with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back. “A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you, for many a year! I’ll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop, Bob! Make up the fires, and buy another coal-scuttle before you dot another i, Bob Cratchit!”

Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.

He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!

Indeed. It just wouldn’t be Christmas for me without the annual repost of this incredible impromptu performance.

Can any thinking person seriously contend that it mightn’t have been Almighty God Himself who brought these men together in that hotel bar to lift their beautiful voices straight up to Heaven in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mother in this miraculous, soul-stirring way? Or that the spread of the Christian faith throughout the entire world to endure for well over two thousand years to date might be no more than mere happenstance? Or that Christmas Day, be its origins ever so humble, is now celebrated in every continent on Earth owing exclusively to the fickle vagaries of chance and circumstance?

I think not. A most happy Christmas to my readers one and all; may your days be merry and bright, friends. However humble our own Christmas celebrations might be, we are nevertheless richly blessed, and must never, ever forget it, nor ever fail to let our gratitude shine brightly out from the deepest corners of our hearts and souls, for as long as we’re spared.

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Error happened.

Another classic, although perhaps not quite as well known on these shores as it probably ought to be.

I had very nearly forgotten about this rollicking slice of Irish merriment, to be honest, even though I’d loved it for many years in my squandered youth. Thanks to the lovely, gracious, and talented KT for reminding me.

Lights. Camera. And above all, ACTION!

Another fine, fine Christmas tune.

In case you aren’t familiar with this one, it’s a vocal-free version of “Once In Royal David’s City,” originally set to music by Brit organist Henry Gauntlett.

Once in Royal David’s City is a Christmas carol originally written as a poem by Cecil Frances Alexander. The carol was first published in 1848 in her hymnbook Hymns for Little Children.

A year later, the English organist Henry Gauntlett discovered the poem and set it to music.

Henry John Gauntlett was organist at a number of London churches, including St Olave’s in Tooley Street, Southwark from 1827 to 1846, Christ Church Greyfriars and Union Chapel, Islington from 1852 to 1861. He edited many hymnbooks and wrote over a thousand hymn tunes, although his setting of “Once in Royal David’s City” to the tune of “Irby” is his most famous.

Since 1919, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at the King’s College Chapel, Cambridge has begun its Christmas Eve service, with Dr Arthur Henry Mann’s arrangement of “Once in Royal David’s City” as the Processional hymn. Mann was organist at King’s between 1876 and 1929.

In Mann’s arrangement, the first verse is sung by a boy chorister of the college’s choir as a solo. The second verse is sung by the choir, and the congregation joins in the third verse. Excluding the first verse, the hymn is accompanied by the organ.

In The English Carol, Erik Routley notes that Mann’s unaccompanied arrangement of Gauntlett’s original hymn changes the character of the work into one which emphasises the acoustic space of the chapel: “with subtle art that arrangement turns the homely children’s hymn into a processional of immense spaciousness.”

According to the tradition of the King’s College Choir, the soloist of this hymn is usually chosen right before the performance, when the choirmaster decides whose voice is the strongest on the day, prior to the start of the broadcast.

And there you have it, folks: another great song made even more enjoyable by having a great story behind how it came to be.

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Error happened.

Tonight’s musical offering is “When Christmas Comes To Town,” a lovely, affecting little song from the soundtrack of the 2004 film The Polar Express. Background:

The Polar Express is a 2004 American animated adventure fantasy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, who co-wrote the screenplay with William Broyles Jr., based on the 1985 children’s book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. It stars Tom Hanks in multiple roles, with Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen in supporting roles. The film features human characters animated using live action and motion capture computer animation, with sequences for the latter taking place from June 2003 to May 2004. Set on Christmas Eve, it tells the story of a young boy who sees a mysterious train bound for the North Pole stop outside his window and is invited aboard by its conductor. He joins other children as they embark on a journey to visit Santa Claus preparing for Christmas.

The Polar Express premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival on October 13, 2004, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 10, 2004, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics and initially grossed $286 million against a record-breaking $165–170 million budget, which was the biggest sum for an animated feature at the time. Later re-releases helped propel the film’s gross to $314 million worldwide, and it was later listed in the 2006 Guinness World Records as the first all-digital capture film. The Polar Express is also the last film appearance for Michael Jeter before his death and is dedicated to his memory.

Hanks optioned the book in 1999 with the hopes of playing the conductor and Santa Claus. One of the conditions of the sale was that the resulting film not be animated. Zemeckis, however, felt that a live-action version was unfeasible, claiming that it “would look awful, and it would be impossible – it would cost $1 billion instead of $160 million.” Zemeckis felt that such a version would rob the audience of the art style of the book which he felt was “so much a part of the emotion of the story”. The two acquired the rights to the book the following year. In order to keep his vision a new process was created by which actors would be filmed with motion capture equipment in a black box stage which would then be animated to make the resulting film. Hanks stated that this method of working was “actually a return to a type of acting that acting in films does not allow you to do”, comparing the process to performing a play in the round. The idea of a Scrooge puppet was conceived when Zemeckis looked at his childhood toys, one of which was a puppet.

Hanks plays five roles in the film including that of a small child (whose voice would later be dubbed in by Daryl Sabara). Initially Zemeckis considered having him play every role, but after trying this, Hanks grew exhausted, and they whittled down the number. Principal photography of the motion-capture sequences began in June 2003, and wrapped in May 2004.

The soundtrack of the film, titled The Polar Express: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, was released on November 2, 2004, by Reprise Records, Warner Music Group and Warner Sunset Records. The song, “Believe” was written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri and was nominated for Best Original Song at the 77th Academy Awards. It was sung at the 77th Academy Awards show by original performer Josh Groban with Beyoncé and won a Grammy Award in 2006.

The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in November 2007. Having sold 724,000 copies in the United States, it is the best-selling film soundtrack/holiday album hybrid since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking music sales in 1991.

Most of the original orchestral score featured in the film was not released on the soundtrack and has never been released. The soundtrack mostly comprises only songs featured in the film. A limited number of promotional “For Your Consideration” CDs, intended to showcase the film’s score to reviewers of the film, were released in 2005. This CD contained nearly the complete score, but none of the film’s songs. Various bootleg versions of the soundtrack, combining both the official soundtrack album and the orchestral-only CD, have since surfaced.

Much more at the link, including an interesting architectural side-note I hadn’t known about before.

The buildings at the North Pole in the film represent an earlier era in American railroading. Building design drew inspiration from the Pullman neighborhood in Chicago, home of a railroad car manufacturer, the Pullman Company.

Huh, how ’bout that. Anyways, on to the embed.

Having grown up with Charlie Brown, the Grinch, and various other 60’s Christmas TV special classics—not to mention the all-time greatest Christmas flick, Capra’s unforgettable It’s A Wonderful Life—I didn’t think all that highly of Polar Express the first time I saw it. I mean, the animation was amazing, the musical numbers were incredibly well-done, the story was cute enough, but still, my all-in-all reaction was just kind of…MEH. But after repeated viewings it did grow on me, and now I very much dig it.