Time for some music!
What are your favourite Christmas songs or carols?
For me, there are so many…
But I’ll start with the German ones.
My absolute favourite is “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht” (English title: Silent Night).
I found a version on Youtube which probably is one of the most authentic with its setting in the Alps of Tirol, Austria, and the historical atmosphere. I think it gives us a feeling of how it must have been back in 1818, on Christmas Eve, when the song was performed for the very first time in a small Austrian chapel, by the composer Franz Xaver Gruber and the author, Joseph Mohr (a young Catholic priest) with only a guitar to accompany their singing.
It’s so amazing that this simple, beautiful song became so famous and is sung all around the world in so many languages now!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z15FHAVrv7A I also found this version of a small group singing with a guitar in exactly the chapel in the Austrian village where the song was performed for the first time (in the end they sing in English too)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk2wA4RHYa4Another big favourite of mine is “Maria durch ein Dornwald ging” (English title: Maria Walks Amid The Thorn).
The lyrics were first written down in 1850, but it’s uncertain how old the song actually is. Nobody knows for sure, but I think it’s got a haunting, kind of medieval touch to it, which I have always liked.
I found this version on Youtube performed by Franziska Wiese, a German violinist and singer (I think it’s incredibly beautiful):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q6Kak6Ip2kA more cheerful song from my childhood is this one, “Lasst uns froh und munter sein” (Translation: “Let’s all be happy and have fun”; I don’t know if there are any versions in other languages…?)
The animation video (with English subtitles!) is cute and kind of nostalgic – it shows kids looking forward to St. Nikolaus Eve, which is on December 6th. (I think St. Nikolaus was probably the model for Santa Claus.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBIMFZ-q7mg That’s it for today.