Advent Carols

[Bullock in D]

I'm new to this so please be gentle.
But what is your favourite Advent carol?
Everybody has a Christmas favourite. But what would you like to hear next Sunday at a parish church or cathedral near you?

[antongould]

Welcome to you
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
was always my favourite at School all those years ago.

[secret squirrel]

Lo! he comes...

More of a hymn and a dead cert to boot, but it it the one.

Otherwise Schonberg's Friede auf Erden, but that's me being ponsy!

ss

[Tevot]

Yes...I agree with secret squirrel about "Lo! he comes" ...and I'm looking forward to hearing the St John's College Advent Service broadcast from Sunday...


Other advent "carols" - 'oh come oh come Emmanuel' ...and I must admit to having a soft spot for "es ist ein Ros' entsprungen..."

[thoroughlygood]

Yes...I agree with secret squirrel about "Lo! he comes" ...and I'm looking forward to hearing the St John's College Advent Service broadcast from Sunday...

Up until Choral Evensong the other day I thought my favourite was O Come. But then I stumbled on Jesus Christ the Apple Tree (not literally, obviously) and was fairly certain that was my favourite. Now I read this, I'm reminded about Lo! He Comes. So .. er ... It's got to be the latter. I'm listening to Choral Evensong for a third time as a result.

[jean]

But then I stumbled on Jesus Christ the Apple Tree...and was fairly certain that was my favourite...

Listening again to the Advent carol service, I heard a trailer for the Choirand realised they'd done a profile of Elisabeth Poston last Sunday - you've just time to catch it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console...izabeth_Poston

[Mary Chambers]

Howells, A Spotless Rose. It sends shivers down my spine - if sung well.

[Don Basilio]

Creator of the stars of night is the Advent evening office hymn, and I love singing it every evening. Es ist ein ros is surely a Christmas piece? (In Advent it won't have sprungen yet, would it?)

[DracoM]

Service of Carols for Advent
The Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge

Order of Service:

Service of Carols for Advent
The Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge

Order of Service:

Carol: Adam lay ybounden (M. Martin)
Processional Hymn: O come, O come, Emmanuel (Veni Emmanuel) (descant: Hill)
Bidding Prayer
Carol: The Apple Tree (Poston)

I The Message of Advent
Sentence and Collect
Antiphons: O Sapientia and O Adonai
First lesson: Isaiah 11: 1-5
Carol: Out of your sleep (R.R. Bennett)
Second lesson: 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11
Motet: Nox praecessit (Sven-Erik Bäck)

II The Word of God
Sentence and Collect
Antiphons: O Radix Jesse and O Clavis David
Motet: Laetentur coeli (Byrd)
Third lesson: Micah 4: 1-4
Carol: The Call (Panufnik) 1st performance
Fourth lesson: Luke 4: 14-21
Hymn: Come, thou long-expected Jesus (Cross of Jesus) (descant: Robinson)

III The Prophetic Call
Sentence and Collect
Antiphons: O Oriens and O Rex Gentium
Carol: Tomorrow shall be my dancing day (arr. Willcocks)
Fifth lesson: Malachi 3:1-7
Anthem: This is the record of John (Gibbons)
Sixth lesson: Matthew 3:1-11
Hymn: On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry (Winchester New) (descant: Robinson)

IV The Christ-Bearer
Sentence and Collect
Antiphon: O Emmanuel
Motet: Bogoroditsye Dyevo (Rachmaninoff)
Seventh lesson: Luke 1: 39-49
Carol: Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen (arr. Praetorius and Cashmore)
Magnificat: Murrill in E
Eighth lesson: John 3: 1-8
Sentence and Christmas Collect
Carol: Make we joy (Robinson)
Hymn: Lo! He comes with clouds descending (Helmsley) (descant: Robinson)
College Prayer and Blessing

Organ Voluntary: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme BWV 645 (J. S. Bach)

Senior Organ Student: John Challenger
Director of Music: Andrew Nethsingha

[Caliban]

Howells, A Spotless Rose. It sends shivers down my spine - if sung well.

Mary - agreed! The harmonies at "... cold, cold winter's night" are at the very summit of any choral setting I know.