Christmas Carols
Prague Madrigal Singers

1964
Supraphon 50619

1963-1964
Mirror Hall of Klementinum (Supraphon Studios), Prague

A
Christmas Carols of European Nations

1 - Michael PRAETORIUS: Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen   [1:32]
Deutschland
2 - Het was een maget uyt vercoren – Kerstlied   [1:38]
Vlamen
3 - Rajske strune zadonite   [1:11]
Jugoslavija
4 - Καλην η μέρα άρχοντες – Τα καλαντα των Χριστουγεννων   [1:09]
Ελλάδα
5 - Nous étions trois bergerettes   [1:17]
France
6 - Los animales ante el Nacimiento   [1:21]
España
7 - Dormi, dormi bel Bambin   [2:07]
Italia
8 - Израсло ми, Гъорге – Българска коледна песен   [1:03]
България
9 - Pásli ovce Valaši   [1:09]
Československo
10 - Entre le bœuf et l'âne gris   [1:36]
France
11 - Nu är det jul igen   [1:16]
Sverige
12 - Jeg er så glad hver julekveld   [2:15]
Norge
13 - Jezus malusieńki   [1:41]
Polska
14 - Der Heiland ist geboren   [2:58]
Österreich
15 - Good King Wenceslas   [2:03]
England
16 - Gloria, Gloria in excelsis   [1:03]
Československo



B
Czech Christmas Carols
arranged by Miloslav Klement

1 - Narodil se Kristus Pán   [2:07]
2 - Dej Bůh štĕstí   [0:48]
3 - Já bych rád k Betlému   [1:59]
4 - Nesem vám noviny   [1:11]
5 - Chtíc, aby spal   [2:31]
6 - Půjdem spolu do Betléma   [1:28]
7 - Syn Boží se nám narodil   [1:53]
8 - Vondráši, Matóši   [1:19]
9 - Poslechnĕte mĕ málo   [1:04]
10 - Kristus Pán se narodil   [2:11]
11 - Byla cesta ušlapaná   [2:24]
12 - Slyšte, slyšte, pastuškové   [1:43]
13 - Dĕťátko se narodilo   [1:47]
14 - Jak jsi krásné, Jezulátko   [1:31]




Beno Blachut • tenor (solo A/9, 15, B/3)

Milan Šlechta • organ



Instrumental Chamber Ensemble
(New Madrigal and Consort Singers with Instrumental Group)



Prague Madrigal Singers
Miroslav Venhoda

Soprano:

Milada Boublíková (solo A/3, 5, 7, 13, 15, B/5, 7)
Růžena Karlová
Hana Legerová (solo A/2, 5, 7, 14)
Hana Semschová


Alto:

Jaroslava Kolganová (solo: A/2, 3, 5)
Marie Němcová (solo: A6, 7, B/9)
Vlasta Pecháčková (solo: A/2, 7, B/7)


Tenor:

Angel Jankov (solo: A/8)
Dr. Jiří Raizl
Soběslav Raizl (solo: A/12)
Miloslav Somol
František Schneiberg


Bass:

Pavel Jurkovič (solo: A/2, 4, 8, 12)
Miloslav Rabas (solo: A/11, B/7, 8)
Jaroslav Srb (solo: A/12)
Josef Života











A/1-16

Antonín FILS. Missa Solemnis · Christmas Carols of European Nations
LP, 1963





A/1-16, B/1

Christmas Carols of European Nations
CD, 1988








Christmas Carols
Christmas Carols of European Nations · Czech Christmas Carols

As time passes on and year follows year Christmas returns again and again – the most joyous holiday which reminds us of the birth of the teacher of love and goodness and peace. It recurs during the period of the Winter solstice, the time of shortest days and longest nights and it continues, properly speaking, the ancient pagan tradition of the festivites celebrating that turning point in the cosmic arrangement when each year light increases and days become longer. Certain Roman and Slavonic folk festivities and customs of the Winter solstice have passed into our Christmas festivities and customs.

Until the 4th century of our era Christmas used to be celebrated on January 6 together with the holiday of the Three Magi, in keeping with the tradition of the pagan festivities of Calendae Januarii yet were later transferred to the great holiday of the antique deification of the sun, Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, and many an old custom has thus been preserved, because of the enduring memories of pagan times and was finally obliterated by the new and purely religious significance of the Christian holiday. Thus, for instance, the light of the candles on a Christmas tree is derived from the ancient ceremony of the consecration of light during the winter solstice. The custom of singing and trumpet blowing from towers is still preserved in certain places; children go from house to house singing carols and are rewarded by gifts of fruit, nuts and sweets. The pre-Christian cult of trees is still today preserved in the Christmas tree in Central Europe and in the burning of the Christmas log by certain other peoples (badnjak with the orthodox Yugoslavs, "ceppo" with the Italians, chalendal in France, Kersavondblock in Flanders, Yulelog in England).

Christianity which teaches the restauration and salvation of the world through love, humility and peace experiences its flowering period each year between Christmas Eve and the holiday of the Three Magi when it bursts into its loveliest flowers. Christmas, this mysterious holiday, is a miracle which we all bear within us from childhood to our last days. Generation after generation handed down its tradition and deepened its tenderness, preserved its beauty and all the strings of the human heart resound with its joy. It is a holiday full of poetry, child-like joy and memories, it is the enchanting dream of the home, the goal of our wayward wanderings seeking after the centrum securitatis, the safe refuge amidst the family, under the paternal roof. When the voice of Christmas bells is heard over the silent and sleepy countryside and through the dim twilight of the ending advent period the glorious news of the birth of the Lord is heralted the feeling of unspeakable longing, bliss and yearning awakens in each of us. It is Christmas Eve, melodies of ancient songs resound in our hearts, peace spreads over our native land, lights are burning and we breathe the warmth of the home. The day is short, the snow covered church gravely towers above the snower – in village, the voice of bells hovers above snowdrifts, the intimately known house breathes conziness, the smell of pine needles fills the room, someone sings the news from Judea and above the primitive crêche a comet lights up the vista of a lost and suddenly regained paradise of childhood. The moments of this solemn evening evoke in the minds of all of us memories of past days, gratitude for the ardent happiness of the present moment and also joyful hope for the future.

In all European countries the celebration of Christmas is linked with poetry, music and creative art, all of which are only projections of the simple story of the Gospels into the immediate creativeness of the people or the well-thoughtout creations of mature artists. The Christmas scene in which simple shepherds came to bow before the Child Jesus, born in the enchanted night, and lying on hay in a poor stable above which angels sing their eulogy "Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis" and the Three Magi from the East offer, in humility, their gifts of myrrh, frankincense and gold to the newborn baby in Bethlehem, this scene has, since time out of mind, been an inexhaustible inspiration of art. Poets and musicians, painters and sculptors, thousands of unknown and anonymous creators have taken it as their subject-matter, shaped it, added delightful details to the simple news of the evangelists and made the place of this event from the New Testament to resemble their own, local surroundings.

Wherever Christianity has penetrated to in-influence life, morals and manner of thinking, everywhere where folk songs arise and are handed down by tradition, Christmas songs are sung during the season no matter what is their special name in individual countries, noels in France, nouvè or nadau in Provence, Sternsingerlied in Germany, colinda in Rumania, carol in England, julvisor in Sweden. As Christmas itself is both a religious holiday and a popular fête, so the content of the carols ranges from purely religious songs over the pious genre depiction of the events of Christmas to the secular songs related to this holiday only by motives linked with this season and its folk customs. These are usually naively realistic pastoral songs, sung both in the home and in the church, and sometimes even dramatized and included in larger Christmas plays. Texts of carols are often sung to the tune of older secular melodies, sometimes even dance melodies, and a French carol is known which is sung to the melody of the Marseillaise. There were poets which are remembered only because they composed carols, like that Provençal poet Nicolau Saboly (1614-1675), a contemporary of our Adam Michna of Otradovice, the composer of the popular song "Wanting Him to Sleep". - The oldest German Christmas carols "Nun sit willekomrnen, herre kerst" (Now be welcomed Lord Christ) from the 11th century and "Er ist gewaltic unde starc" (He is powerful and strong) from the 12th century. Internationality is the characteristic trait of certain carols. Thus in Germany they sing "Kommet ihr Hirten, ihr Männer und Fraun" (Come ye shepherds, ye men and women) to the melody of the Czech carols "Nesem vám noviny, poslouchejte" (We bring you news, listen to it). The German carol "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht" (Silent night, holy night) dating from 1818, spread all over the world, like the Italian Marian song "O sanctissima" in the variant using a Christmas text.

Carols have the charm of old, primitive pictures, naive folk paintings on glass where everything is crowded into a small space with any worry about perspective and proportionality and which are often embroidered with delightful anachronisms and breathe the warm mood and feeling which attaches to the crêche with love and humility. They inspire the confidence expressed by one of them:

"On earth henceforth
Peace shall be in force
For mankind's benefit
For all time, each moment of it."

Otto František Babler

Karlův most y Hradčany