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Revels Records

The Christmas Revels

Uplifting Spiritual Nostalgic Playful
$13.99

Details

Composer
TRADITIONAL
Artist
The Christmas Revels
Format
CD
Label
Revels Records
Released
Oct 01, 1978
Catalog #
REVCD1078
UPC
738871107824

About

Track Listing
1. Abbots Bromley Horn Dance
2. Room's Opening Lines
3. Wassail Carol
4. Father Christmas Verse
5. Boar's Head Carol, The
6. Constant Billy
7. Here We Come a-Wassailing
8. Villagers All!
9. There Was a Pig
10. Monk's March, The
11. Dargason
12. Fra Giovanni
13. Holly and the Ivy, The
14. Fool's Verse
15. Lord of the Dance
16. Brass Fanfare
17. Masters in This Hall
18. Shakespeare Lines
19. Nova! Nova!
20. Nativity
21. Alle Psallite Cum Luya
22. Moon Shines Bright, The
23. St. George's Verse
24. Sword Dance Tunes
25. Shortest Day, The
26. Wren Song, The
27. Apple Tree Wassail
28. 12 Days of Christmas, The
29. Fool's Farewell, The
30. Sussex Mummers' Carol

There are Christians who refuse to celebrate the season because of its pagan origins, grounded in Solstice revels. These origins were made abundantly clear when John Langstaff first staged the Christmas Revels in New York City's Town Hall in 1957. The Revels, then, were a celebration of the rebirth of the New Year, but Langstaff added a twist. He would also enfold Christ -- the "Lord of the Dance" -- into his pageant, arguing that His death and rebirth fit perfectly into ancient pagan ritual. This 1978 version of The Christmas Revels offers but one version of the ever-evolving procession, featuring Langstaff as lead baritone on favorites like "The Boar's Head Carol" and "Lord of the Dance." A large cast, performing choral vocals, spoken parts, and instrumentals, brings an energetic dignity to a mixture of traditional songs, dances, ritual, and poetry. While the spoken portions of the Revels probably work better in a live theater experience, its important to remember that the program is meant as a community celebration. While some people will find this music a bit eccentric, the sort of thing one might hear on public radio on Christmas Eve; The Christmas Revels breaks away from yet another version of "Silent Night" and offers a refreshing way to celebrate the season. Pagans of all stripes will also be glad to have a holiday album to call their own. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Tracklist 30 tracks

  1. 1 Abbots Bromley Horn Dance 01:52
    Track
    1
    Title
    Abbots Bromley Horn Dance
    Duration
    01:52
    Composer
    Traditional
    Performer
    Lesle Kulbach
  2. 2 Room's Opening Lines 00:39
    Track
    2
    Title
    Room's Opening Lines
    Duration
    00:39
    Performer
    Henry Chapin
  3. 3 Wassail Carol 02:09
    Track
    3
    Title
    Wassail Carol
    Duration
    02:09
    Composer
    Traditional
    Ensemble
    The Revels Chorus, Cambridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble
    Conductor
    Frank Epstein
  4. 4 Father Christmas Verse 00:31
    Track
    4
    Title
    Father Christmas Verse
    Duration
    00:31
    Composer
    na Not Applicable
    Performer
    Robert J. Lurtsema
  5. 5 The Boar's Head Carol 01:31
    Track
    5
    Title
    The Boar's Head Carol
    Duration
    01:31
    Composer
    Traditional
    Performer
    John Langstaff, Frank Epstein
    Ensemble
    The Revels Chorus, Cambridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble
  6. 6 Constant Billy 01:30
    Track
    6
    Title
    Constant Billy
    Duration
    01:30
    Composer
    Traditional
    Performer
    Marshall Barron
    Ensemble
    The Muddy River Morris Team
  7. 7 Here We Come A-Wassailing 01:20
    Track
    7
    Title
    Here We Come A-Wassailing
    Duration
    01:20
    Composer
    Traditional
    Performer
    Lesle Kulbach
    Ensemble
    The Revels Children's Chorus
  8. 8 Villagers All! 00:29
    Track
    8
    Title
    Villagers All!
    Duration
    00:29
    Ensemble
    The Christmas Revels
  9. 9 There Was A Pig Went Out to Dig 01:39
    Track
    9
    Title
    There Was A Pig Went Out to Dig
    Duration
    01:39
    Composer
    Traditional
    Ensemble
    The Revels Children's Chorus
  10. 10 The Monks' March 01:05
    Track
    10
    Title
    The Monks' March
    Duration
    01:05
    Composer
    Traditional
    Performer
    John Fleagle, Janet Fuchs, Hildur Colot
  11. 11 Dargason 00:57
    Track
    11
    Title
    Dargason
    Duration
    00:57
    Composer
    Traditional
    Performer
    Jerome Epstein, Marshall Barron
  12. 12 Fra Giovanni 01:08
    Track
    12
    Title
    Fra Giovanni
    Duration
    01:08
    Performer
    Robert J. Lurtsema
  13. 13 The Holly and the Ivy 02:48
    Track
    13
    Title
    The Holly and the Ivy
    Duration
    02:48
    Composer
    Traditional
    Ensemble
    The Revels Chorus
  14. 14 Fool's Verse 00:14
    Track
    14
    Title
    Fool's Verse
    Duration
    00:14
    Composer
    na Not Applicable
    Performer
    Henry Chapin
  15. 15 Lord of the Dance 04:18
    Track
    15
    Title
    Lord of the Dance
    Duration
    04:18
    Composer
    Traditional
    Performer
    Frank Epstein
    Ensemble
    The Revels Chorus, Cambridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble
  16. 16 Brass Fanfare 01:11
    Track
    16
    Title
    Brass Fanfare
    Duration
    01:11
    Composer
    Claudio Monteverdi
    Performer
    Frank Epstein
    Ensemble
    Cambridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble
  17. 17 Masters in this Hall 03:08
    Track
    17
    Title
    Masters in this Hall
    Duration
    03:08
    Composer
    Traditional
    Ensemble
    The Revels Chorus
  18. 18 Shakespeare Lines 00:31
    Track
    18
    Title
    Shakespeare Lines
    Duration
    00:31
    Performer
    Robert J. Lurtsema
  19. 19 Nova! Nova! 01:36
    Track
    19
    Title
    Nova! Nova!
    Duration
    01:36
    Composer
    Traditional
    Performer
    John Fleagle, Robin Howard
    Ensemble
    The Revels Chorus
  20. 20 Nativity 00:25
    Track
    20
    Title
    Nativity
    Duration
    00:25
  21. 21 Alle psallite cum luya 01:24
    Track
    21
    Title
    Alle psallite cum luya
    Duration
    01:24
    Composer
    Traditional
    Ensemble
    The Revels Chorus
  22. 22 The Moon Shines Bright 01:04
    Track
    22
    Title
    The Moon Shines Bright
    Duration
    01:04
    Composer
    Traditional
    Performer
    John Langstaff
  23. 23 St. George's Verse 00:14
    Track
    23
    Title
    St. George's Verse
    Duration
    00:14
    Performer
    Gerrett Warner
  24. 24 Sword Dance Tunes 01:27
    Track
    24
    Title
    Sword Dance Tunes
    Duration
    01:27
    Composer
    Traditional
    Performer
    Marshall Barron
    Ensemble
    The Muddy River Morris Team
  25. 25 The Shortest Day 01:28
    Track
    25
    Title
    The Shortest Day
    Duration
    01:28
    Performer
    Robert J. Lurtsema
  26. 26 The Wren Song 00:51
    Track
    26
    Title
    The Wren Song
    Duration
    00:51
    Composer
    Traditional
    Ensemble
    The Revels Children's Chorus
  27. 27 Apple Tree Wassail 01:56
    Track
    27
    Title
    Apple Tree Wassail
    Duration
    01:56
    Composer
    Traditional
    Ensemble
    The Revels Chorus
  28. 28 The Twelve Days of Christmas 03:36
    Track
    28
    Title
    The Twelve Days of Christmas
    Duration
    03:36
    Composer
    Traditional
    Ensemble
    The Revels Chorus
  29. 29 The Fool's Farewell 00:14
    Track
    29
    Title
    The Fool's Farewell
    Duration
    00:14
    Composer
    na Not Applicable
    Performer
    Henry Chapin
  30. 30 Sussex Mummers' Carol 02:30
    Track
    30
    Title
    Sussex Mummers' Carol
    Duration
    02:30
    Composer
    Traditional
    Ensemble
    The Revels Chorus, The Revels Children's Chorus, Cambridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble