Festive Family Carols St Martin's Voices Ben Giddens Organ Andrew Earis Director Zeb Soanes Presenter Available Until 31St December 2020
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Festive Family Carols St Martin's Voices Ben Giddens Organ Andrew Earis Director Zeb Soanes Presenter Available until 31st December 2020 St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square London WC2N 4JJ 020 7766 1100 www.smitf.org St Martin's Carols at Home Welcome to St Martin-in-the-Fields and our online Christmas concerts for 2020. In this uncertain time for our country and our world, we are delighted to be able to bring a little bit of St Martin’s into your homes. There are three uplifting concerts as part of our Christmas online series – Carols for Christmas, Festive Family Carols and A Baroque Christmas Celebration. Each feature our wonderful professional choir, St Martin’s Voices. We are also delighted to welcome BBC Radio 4 newsreader and children’s author Zeb Soanes to introduce some of the concerts. Please do visit the St Martin’s website at www.smitf.org to find out more of what we have to offer this Christmas – from our in-person socially distanced carol concerts and services, to our new online shop, and much exciting digital content. For other online Christmas concerts in this series, please visit shop.smitf.org. From all of us at St Martin’s, we would like to wish you a very happy Christmas! Dr Andrew Earis Director of Music PROGRAMME Carol of the Bells – Mykola Leontovych Once in Royal David’s City Away in a Manger What The Donkey Saw – Ursula Askham Fanthorpe Little Donkey In the Bleak Midwinter – Gustav Holst O Little Town of Bethlehem A Visit from St. Nicholas – Clement Clarke Moore We Three Kings of Orient are Follow that Star – Peter Gritton The Virgin Mary had a Baby Boy – arr. Ken Burton Mary’s Boy Child – Jester Hairston, arr. Peter Gritton The Twelve Days of Christmas – arr. John Rutter On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas my True Love Phoned me up – Dave Calder Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – arr. Paul Ayres Jingle Bells – Pierpont, arr. David Willcocks We Wish you a Merry Christmas – arr. Warrell TEXTS Carol of the Bells Hark how the bells Sweet silver bells All seem to say Throw cares away Christmas is here Bringing good cheer To young and old Meek and the bold Ding-dong, ding-dong That is the song With joyful ring All carolling One seems to hear Words of good cheer From everywhere Filling the air Oh, how they pound Raising their sound O'er hill and dale Telling their tale Gaily they ring While people sing songs of good cheer Christmas is here Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas On on they send On without end Their joyful tone To every home Ding-dong, ding-dong. Text: Peter J. Wilhousky (1902-1978), © Carl Fischer Music Music: Mykola Leontovych (1877-1921) 1 Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed, where a mother laid her baby in a manger for his bed: Mary was that Mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child. 2 He came down to earth from heaven who is God and Lord of all, and his shelter was a stable, and his cradle was a stall; with the poor and mean and lowly lived on earth our Saviour holy. 3 And through all his wondrous childhood he would honour and obey, love and watch the lowly Maiden, in whose gentle arms he lay: Christian children all must be mild, obedient, good as he. 4 Not in that poor lowly stable, with the oxen standing by, we shall see him; but in heaven, set at God's right hand on high; where like stars his children crowned all in white shall wait around. Text: Cecil Frances Alexander (née Humphreys) (1818-1895) Music: H. J. Gauntlett (1805-1876), harmonised A. H. Mann 1 Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head; the stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. 2 The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes. I love thee, Lord Jesus! Look down from the sky, and stay by my side until morning is nigh. 3 Be near me, Lord Jesus: I ask thee to stay close by me for ever, and love me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, and fit us for heaven, to live with thee there. Text: Anon, sometimes attributed to John Thomas Macfarland (1851-1913) Music: W. J. Kirkpatrick (1838-1921), arr. David Willcocks (1919-2015) What The Donkey Saw No room in the inn, of course, And not that much in the stable What with the shepherds, Magi, Mary, Joseph, the heavenly host – Not to mention the baby Using our manger as a cot. You couldn’t have squeezed another cherub in For love or money. Still, in spite of the overcrowding, I did my best to make them feel wanted. I could see the baby and I Would be going places together. Ursula Askham Fanthorpe (1929-2009) 1 Little donkey, little donkey, on the dusty road. Got to keep on plodding onwards with your precious load. Been a long time, little donkey, thro' the winter's night. Dont give up now, little donkey, Bethlehem's in sight. Ring out those bells tonight, Bethlehem, Bethlehem. Follow that star tonight, Bethlehem, Bethlehem. 2 Little donkey, little donkey, journey's end is near. There are wise men, waiting for a sign to bring them here. Do not falter, little donkey, there's a star ahead. It will guide you, little donkey, to a cattle shed. Refrain 3 Little donkey, little donkey, had a heavt day. Little donkey, carry Mary safely on her way. Text and Music: Eric Boswell (1921-2009), arr. Kevin Norbury © Chappell Music Ltd 1 In the bleak midwinter, Frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, Snow on snow, In the bleak mid-winter, Long ago. 2 Our God, heaven cannot hold Him, Nor earth sustain; Heaven and earth shall flee away When He comes to reign: In the bleak mid-winter A stable-place sufficed The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ. 3 Enough for him, whom cherubim Worship night and day, A breastful of milk And a mangerful of hay: Enough for him, whom angels Fall down before, The ox and ass and camel Which adore. 4 Angels and archangels May have gathered there, Cherubim and seraphim Throngèd the air; But His mother only, In her maiden bliss, Worshipped the Beloved With a kiss. 5 What can I give Him, Poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a wise man, I would do my part; Yet what I can I give Him- Give my heart. Text: Christina G Rossetti (1830-1894) Music: Gustav Holst (1874-1934) 1 O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light; the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee to-night. 2 O morning stars, together proclaim the holy birth and praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth; for Christ is born of Mary; and, gathered all above, while mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love. 3 How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given! so God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming; but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in. 4 O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell: O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel. Text: Phillips Brooks (1835-1893) Music: English Traditional, arr. Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) A Visit from St. Nicholas ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her ’kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap, When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below, When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name; “Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!” As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky; So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of Toys, and St.