What are your favourite Christmas carols and why?

[Anthony2019]

My favourite Christmas carols:-

1. O little town of Bethlehem - a carol I have remembered ever since I was a child and always sung during Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. The tune I am familiar with is Forest Green which is one of the earliest carols I learned to play on the piano.
2. In the bleak midwinter - I love the Harold Darke version of this carol - very moving and soothing. I remember the times I would finish work and go on my Christmas holidays, sit back in a comfy armchair looking at the fireplace and the Christmas decorations being serenaded by this beautiful arrangement.
3. O come all ye faithful - I love the majestic feel to this carol and the really uplifting soprano descant which comes in the final verse.

Let me know your favourites!

 

[sandman]

There is a rendition of Little Drummer Boy that I love …I need to find that again.

The whole thing …tempo, kettle drums, vocalists and reverb combo blew me away….there are several good ones out there but that one was absolutely the best… IMO …I will keep looking

This one↓ comes kind of close

 

[PaulChilds]

For me it's Silent Night, Holy Night. I have very warm childhood memories of that carol, and it reminds me of happy holidays with my family. Now we live in different states, or even countries, but this song reminds me of them

 

[jayem]

I''m not Christian, but I like good music, whether it's religious or not. We sang Cantique de Noel (AKA, O Holy Night) in 6th grade glee club. It's not easy to sing, There's a note near the end that jumps a whole octave. Its French composer, Adolphe Adam, wrote mainly operas and ballets. And the song sounds best when performed by a good operatic singer with the original French lyrics. The German tenor Jonas Kaufmann has a powerful voice and does a nice version in French and English. And he nails that high note in the last verse.

 

[Tuur]

Hark the Herald Angels Sing. There are others I like, but this one is my favorite because it tells the entire point of Christmas.

 

[Pioneer3mm]

Hark the Herald Angels Sing
- My favorite Christmas Carol.
----
The song mentions..many names & titles of Christ.
- King, Lord, Emmanuel...
---
Lyrical contributions from..
- Charles Wesley & George Whitfield.
- Methodist Movement.

 

[jayem]

Hark the Herald Angels Sing
- My favorite Christmas Carol.
----
The song mentions..many names & titles of Christ.
- King, Lord, Emmanuel...
---
Lyrical contributions from..
- Charles Wesley & George Whitfield.
- Methodist Movement.

Some interesting trivia about that song: The tune was borrowed from a cantata honoring Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of movable type. The composer was Felix Mendelssohn. Who was born into a Jewish family that had converted to Lutheranism.

 

[musicalpilgrim]

Some interesting trivia about that song: The tune was borrowed from a cantata honoring Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of movable type. The composer was Felix Mendelssohn. Who was born into a Jewish family that had converted to Lutheranism.

that's interesting, I didn't know that

 

[The IbanezerScrooge]

O Holy Night as sung by Josh Groban.