A Birth In Bethlehem

Merry Christmas to all my readers. Hope your holiday season is fun and festive – and the coming year filled with happiness.

Here are a few of my favorite Christmas carols.

Emma Christian sings Oikan Ayns Bethlehem (Birth in Bethlehem), a traditional Celtic song that tells the nativity story – sung in Manx.

The Palestrina Choir sings the Wexford Carol, aka Good People All:

The Palestrina Choir of St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, Dublin beautifully sing the wonderful traditional Irish Christmas song the Wexford Carol. The treble soloist is Louis Mahon. This comes from their fantastic album Christmas With The Palestrina Choir which has just become available for purchase from Amazon.co.uk.

 Good people all, this Christmas time,

Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done,
In sending His belovèd Son.
With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas Day;
In Bethlehem upon the morn
There was a blest Messiah born.

The night before that happy tide
The noble virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town.
But mark how all things came to pass:
From every door repelled, alas!
As long foretold, their refuge all
Was but a humble oxen stall.

Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep;
To whom Gods angels did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear.
Prepare and go, the angels said,
To Bethlehem, be not afraid;
For there youll find, this happy morn,
A princely Babe, sweet Jesus born.

With thankful heart and joyful mind,
The shepherds went the babe to find,
And as Gods angel has foretold,
They did our Savior Christ behold.
Within a manger He was laid,
And by His side the virgin maid
Attending to the Lord of Life,
Who came on earth to end all strife.

A school choir in Jena, Germany sung an exquisite rendition of Brightest and Best for the last Christmas concert of their school choir before their school closed.

Choir: School Choir of the former Adolf-Reichwein- Gymnasium Jena:

Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming & The Blessed Son of God:

A Compilation vid composed of clips from the “Christmas at Baylor” DVD Produced and Directed by David Byrd in December 2003. Enjoy!

Night of Silence / Silent Night – Gonzaga University Choirs:

Timothy Westerhaus, Gonzaga University Choirs, Night of Silence / Silent Night, composed by Daniel Kantor, Candlelight Christmas Concert 201