CHRISTMAS at King's College [Box set]

Gareth Morrell (Performer), Stephen Varcoe (Performer), Christopher van Kampen (Performer), Henry John Gauntlett (Composer), Christmas Traditional (Composer), Anonymous (Composer), William James Kirkpatrick (Composer), Piae Cantiones Anonymous (Composer), Harold Darke (Composer), Franz Xaver Gruber (Composer), Richard Storrs Willis (Composer), Peter Cornelius (Composer), John Francis Wade (Composer), Felix [1] Mendelssohn (Composer), Jacobus Handl (Composer), Boris Ord (Composer), William Mathias (Composer), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (Composer), Michael Praetorius (Composer)

Product Details

• Performer: Gareth Morrell, Stephen Varcoe, Christopher van Kampen
• Composer: Henry John Gauntlett, Christmas Traditional, Anonymous, William James Kirkpatrick, Piae Cantiones Anonymous, et al.
• Audio CD (September 15, 1998)
• SPARS Code: A-D
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B000009RSR
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,402 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Once in Royal David's City

2. O Little Town of Bethlehem

3. First Nowell

4. I Saw Three Ships

5. Personent Hodie

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Hodie Christus Natus Est

2. Hodie Christus Natus Est

3. O Magnum Mysteriu

4. Senex Puerum Portabat

5. Senex Puerum Portabat

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Once in Royal David's City - Choir of King's College,

2. Bidding Prayer

3. Resonet in Laudibus

4. Genesis 3

5. Adam Lay Ybounden

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. I Look from Afar

2. Come, Thou Redeemer of the Earth

3. Isaiah 40:1-8

4. Drop Down, Ye Heavens, from Above

5. Jeremiah 23:5-6

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 Disc tour de' force of "high church" Christmas music, April 18, 2003

By	Sean P. Doyle (Edmonds, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's in there.. this is a great collection of Anglican Cathedral Christmas music. Highly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a voice teacher and early music fan, January 25, 2009

By	George Peabody "Ariel" (Planet Earth) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

FABULOUS FOUR DISCS OF THE KING'S COLLEGE CHOIR.
The four albums are as follows:
'CHRISTMAS MUSIC FROM KING'S' conducted by Sir David Willcocks (1964&65). This album is somewhat different in that the repertoire, although having some traditional carols,contains works that are more classically oriented such as:'Hodie Christus Natus Est'(Palestrina)(Victoria), 'O magnum mysterium' (Victoria), 'Senex puerum portabat'(Byrd), 'Hodie beata virgo'(Gibbons) and several more of this ilk. To hear these wonderful renditions from this great choir was a joy to me, and I loved the fact that they were NOT the usual carols, although I also enjoy them, and many are on the remaining three albums.

'FAVORITE CAROLS FROM KING'S' includes two conductors in different sessions: Willcocks has carols from 1969,1971&72&73. For the most part these are familiar carols such as 'Once in Royal David's City','O Come, O Come Emmanuel' etc. Do remember, that though they ARE familiar, King's College Choir has the distinct reputation for having unusual and refreshingly different arrangements, that not only involve harmonic changes, but varied voicings and often different accompaniments than usual. Sir Philip Ledger has carols from 1976. They also are somewhat traditional such as: 'O Little Town of Bethlehem', 'The First Nowell', 'A Spotless Rose', 'Up!good Christian folk' etc. Not all the 'familiar' titles have the usual familar melodies, and again I found it refreshing! Needless to say, both choirs are superb!

'A FESTIVAL OF LESSONS AND CAROLS FROM KINGS' conducted solely by Ledger in December, 1978. The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols sung on Christmas Eve in King's College Chapel follows the form laid down in 1918 by the recently appointed Dean, Eric Milner-White. Ideally (in the service) there is no marked alternation of music and lessons but rather the story unfolds evenly through words spoken and words sung, both being enriched as they take their place within the overriding purpose. The words of many of the carols have a long history (such as 'A Maiden Most gentle' by Venable Bede,AD 673-735) but many are sung to new settings or new arrangements. Two other carols I found particularly attractive: 'Adam lay ybounden' by Boris Ord, a former directer of the Choir, and 'A Babe is Born' by William Mathias.

'AN ADVENT PROCESSION WITH CAROLS FROM KING'S' conducted by Ledger December, 1979 has the most interesting collection of carols (in my opinion) of alltime, that is, if you love Anglican music. The arrangements are incredibly clever, especially as to the voicing of the parts, but a few words about the 'Procession'.

In 1934, Milner-White decided that more imaginative forms of worship were needed to maintain interest. And so he put together a framework of a service, the purpose of which was 'not to celebrate Christmas, but to expect it'. Whereas the Christmas Eve service is provided by the lessons, which are then reflected in the carols, in this new service many of the texts set to the music also contribute to the basic form.

And so we have in this album a WONDERFUL collection of some of the most interesting carols and arrangements I have ever heard in my VERY LONG musical life such as: 'Up,Awake and Away'(Gallician Carol), 'All and Some' (John Byrt), 'Twas In the Year'(Charles Wood arr.), 'Judah and Jerusalem'(Palestrina) and 'I Look from Afar'(Palestrina) etc.

Two of the above albums are listed on the King's College website BUT the other two are not. Moreover, if you price them individually you will pay at least twice as much than for all four. This is just such a bargain IF you enjoy the sound of this choir: clear-sounding boy sopranos, lush- sounding male altos, resonant tenors, and light non-rumbling basses. Enough said!