woensdag 28 december 2016

Cantique de Noël/ Minuit Chretien (1847) / O Holy Night (1855) / O Helga Natt (1899) / Kerstnacht (1921)


Placide Cappeau wrote the words to "Cantique de Noël" (or "O Holy Night") while on a train to Paris for a business trip.
Cappeau was a French poet and wine merchant living in Roquemaure, a small town in the south of France. He was well known as the man with one hand, having been shot by his friend in a childhood accident and had his right hand amputated.

At the beginning of 1843, Abbé Maurice Gilles, the parish priest of Roquemaure, the native village of Placide Cappeau, decided to restore the stained glass windows of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste collegiate church. Knowing Cappeau, he asked him to compose a Christmas song in order to celebrate the end of the work with dignity.At the same time, the Parisian engineer Pierre Laurey, who had been in charge since September 1842 to complete the construction of the suspension bridge over the Rhone designed by his colleague Marc Seguin, stayed in Roquemaure with his wife, Emily.
Emily Laurey, a former opera singer, is an intimate friend of Adolphe Adam's wife. It is Emily who solicits the collaboration of the famous musician Adolphe Adam for the setting in music of the poem of Placide Cappeau; She promised to interpret this "Cantique de Noël" in the collegiate church on December 25, 1843.
But in July 1843, Emily Laurey gives birth to a little girl named Adeline and her doctors advised her to cancel the trip to Roquemaure, as they will discourage her to do so the following years.On the 18th of October, 1846, at nine o'clock in the morning, the Abbe Gilles died; The abbot Eugene Nicolas Petitjean succeeded him at the head of the cure of Roquemaure the 10 of January of 1847.Finally, Emily Laurey will sing "Minuit Chretien" for the first time, on December 24, 1847, four years after the promise she had made to Adolphe Adam.



Or on the next link sheetmusic from 1852 (click on view)




In 1855, John Sullivan Dwight, a Unitarian minister, wrote the English version we are most familiar with as "O Holy Night". Dwight's version guts the political strength of Cappeau's lyrics. Only in the last verse, which is often omitted in performance, does Dwight stay close to the power of the French original:
 ...Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease....





The oldest version I found was recorded in London.

(o) J. Thomas (1899) (as "Minuit Chretien")
Recorded on January 20, 1899 in London
Released on Berliner's Gramophone 32321



Or here:




(c) Mr. Bru (1899) (as "Noël (Minuit Chretien)")
Recorded July 1899
Released on Berliner's Gramophone 32586 
Matrix 3299


SEE PAGE 72 on the next link: Gramophone Record Catalogue 1899



And here's is a Swedish version from the same year

(c) Gustav Sjöberg (1899) (as "Julsång (Noël)" / "O Helga Natt")
Recorded on December 3/4, 1899 in Stockholm.
Released on Berliner 82589




Listen here:





(c) E. Francisco (=Emilio De Gogorza) (1900) (as "Cantique de Noël")
Recorded April 28, 1900
Released on Berliner 01275.





(c) Henri Dons (1902) (as "Noël")
Recorded early 1902 in Paris
Matrix # 781F
Released on Gramophone # 2-32508





(c) Alexis Boyer (1902) (as "Cantique de Noël")
Released on Pathe 1034




(c) Jean Noté (1902) (as "Cantique de Noël")
Relaesed on Pathe 2711




(c) Max Bouvet (1904) (as "Cantique de Noël")
Released on Pathe 2591.




(c) Rene Fournets (1901/1902) (as "Noël")
Released on Brown Wax Cylinder Pathe 3649
 



Also released on Monarch 81023


Or here:




(c) Jean Noté (1904)  (as "Noël (Minuit Chretien)")
Recorded in Paris in 1904
Released on Zonophone X-82466
 






(c) Betsy Schot (1906) (as "Weihnachtsgesang")
Recorded in Berlin
Matrix 1056-3
Released on Anker Records # 5600
 






(c) Henri Albers (1906) (as "Noël")
Henri Albers was a Dutchman, who lived in Paris most of the time.
Released on Pathe # 3527
 


Listen here:




In 1907 he also sang it in Dutch

(c) Henri Albers (1907) (as "Kerstlied")



Listen to a sample here:





(c) Evan Williams (1908)  (as "Christmas Song")
Recorded on August 28, 1908 in Camden, New Jersey
Released on Gramophone Record # 3-2987
 





(c) Evan Williams (1908)  (as "Holy Night")
Recorded on November 20, 1908 in Camden, New Jersey
Released on Victor 64106

Recorded around 1909 in New York
Released on Columbia A5135






And here's a Russian version from 1913

(c) Nikolay Shevelev (1913) (as "ГИМНЪ РОЖДЕСТВУ")
Recorded April 3, 1913 in St. Petersburg
Released in 1913 on Gramophone 022323





(c) Albert Quesnel (1914) (as "Cantique de Noël")
Recorded January 1914 in New York
Released on Edison Amberol #2285





(c) Enrico Caruso (1916) (as "Cantique De Noël")
Recorded February 23, 1916 in Camden, New Jersey
Released on Victrola 88561 and Victrola 6029
 




(c) Frieda Hempel (1919) (as "O Holy Night")
Recorded summer 1919 in New York
Released on Edison 82171


Also released on Edison Royal Purple Amberol #29040


Or here:




(c) Mlle. Calvet and Messieus Dutreix and Joachim Cerden (1919)
 (as "Noël (Minuit Chretiens)")
Recorded October 31, 1919
Released on Gramophone W 350



Listen here


Or here:





(c) Marek Weber Trio (1921) (as "Weihnachtsgesang")
Recorded September 20, 1921 in Berlin
Matrix 2-5505
Released on Parlophon P 1223






(c) Albert Heineman (1921)  (as "Kerstnacht")
Recorded September 21, 1921
Released on Homochord 5462

Listen here:




(c) André Baugé (1926) (as "Noël")
Recorded end 1925
Matrix 200135
Released on Pathe X-3312

 


Listen here:




(c) Tino Rossi (1939) (as "Noël (Minuit Chretiens)")
Released on Columbia BF 44



Listen here:




(c) Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians (1942) (as "Cantique De Noël (O Holy Night)")
Recorded July 15, 1942 in New York
Released on Decca 18501




Or here:




(c) Orioles (1950) (as "O Holy Night")


Listen here:




(c) Four Aces featuring Al Alberts (1955) (as "O Holy Night (Cantique De Noël)")


Listen here:




(c) Jerry Butler (1960) (as "O Holy Night (Cantique De Noël)")


Listen here: 




(c) Danny and the Juniors (1960)  (as "O Holy Night")


Listen here:




(c) Bing Crosby (1962) (as "O Holy Night")


Listen here: 




(c) Jackie Wilson (1963) (as "O Holy Night (Cantique De Noël)")


Listen here:




(c) Miracles (1963) (as "O Holy Night")


Listen here:




(c) Bobby Vinton (1963) (as "O Holy Night")


Listen here:




(c) Petula Clark (1963)  (as "Minuit Chretien")


Listen here: (at 5 min and 15 sec in the YT below)




(c) Billy Ward and his Dominoes (1965) (as "O Holy Night")



Listen here




(c) Joan Baez (1966) (as "Cantique de Noël")


Listen here:




(c) Mahalia Jackson (1968) (as "O Holy Night")


Listen here:




(c) Mireille Mathieu (1968) (as "Minuit Chretiens")
avec son papa Roger Mathieu


Listen here:




(c) Edwin Hawkins Singers (1970) (as "O Holy Night")


Listen here:




(c) Nana Mouskouri (1972) (as "Minuit Chretien")


But Nana already performed the song on TV in 1968:




(c) John Denver (1975) (as "O Holy Night")


Listen here: 




(c) Kenny Rogers (1981) (as "O Holy Night")


Listen here:




(c) Carpenters (1978) (as "O Holy Night")


Listen here:




(c) Kitaro (1996) (as "O Holy Night")






(c) Mariah Carey (1996) (as "O Holy Night")


Listen here




(c) Celine Dion (1997) (as "O Holy Night")


Listen here





(c) Eric Cartman (1998) (as "O Holy Night") 
(in an episode of South Park) 





(c) Röyksopp (2010) (as "Cantique de Noël")


Listen here:






More versions here:


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maandag 5 december 2016

Psalm 137 / By The Waters Of Babylon (1786) / What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July ? (1852) (1972) / Rivers Of Babylon (1970) / The Road To Babylon (1976)


Psalm 137  (Greek numbering: Psalm 136) is one of the best known of the Biblical psalms. Its opening lines, "By the rivers of Babylon..." (Septuagint: "By the waters of Babylon...") have been set to music on several occasions, most succesfully covered by German Disco group Boney M.

But long time before that the first 2 verses of  Psalm 137 were used for a musical setting in a round by English composer Philip Hayes

(c) Philip Hayes (1786)  (as "By The Waters Of Babylon")

It is one of the "Canons in the Unison" (for 4 vocals)
It is on page 105 of "The Muses Of Delight" (1786) by Philip Hayes


Here's the complete book




Don McLean covered the Philip Hayes setting as "Babylon", which was the final track on his 1971 album American Pie.

Listen here:   




In 1976 Manfred Mann's Earth Band incorporated the Philip Hayes setting in their composition "The Road To Babylon", on their album "The Roaring Silence".

Listen here:




Another cover of the Philip Hayes round was featured at the end of the episode Babylon during the first season (2007) of Mad Men.


Watch it here:   




In 1894 Czech composer Antonín Dvořák set verses 1-5 of Psalm 137 to music as #7 of  Biblical Songs (Op. 99).


Notable recordings in English include those by George Henschel and Paul Robeson.


In 1913 George Henschel recorded a version for the HMV-label

(c) George Henschel (1913) (as "By the Waters of Babylon")
Recorded December 16, 1913
Released on His Master's Voice #02527 and D104
 



But here's a George Henschel recording from 1929
Recorded December 12, 1929 in London
Released on Columbia LB3
 

Listen here:




And here's Paul Robeson (sung in Czech) from 1961 in one of his latest recordings



Listen here:




Another version of Psalm 137 was set to music by Charles T. Howell

(c) Reinald Werrenrath (1914)  (as "By the waters of Babylon")



Listen here




And here's a gospel-setting from the 1950's.

(c) The Gospel Clefs (1959) (as "By The Water Of Babylon")


Listen here:




In 1969 reggae-group The Melodians wrote another version of Psalm 137, also adding one verse from Psalm 19. Their "new' interpretation was titled "Rivers Of Babylon"

Dowe and McNaughton used the first 4 verses of Psalm 137. and verse 14 of Psalm 19 ("Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight"),

But  the lyrics were not the only thing Dowe and McNaughton had "borrowed".
The melody bore a striking resemblance to the traditional "(Oh) Happy Day". 
Only the metre is different (Rivers of Babylon: 4/4 and Happy Day 3/2)


(o) Trinity Choir (1913)  (as "Happy Day") 
Label: Victor 17499
Matrix B-13601.
Recorded July17, 1913 (Camden, New Jersey)


And The Melodians "borrowed" the Psalm 19 words ("Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight") and melody from a very rare recording from 1962.
An unknown artist, produced by well-known ska producer Simeon L Smith, recorded a song called "Zion Oh Lord (Hola Zion)".


Listen here (at 36 seconds)





(c) The Melodians (1970) (as "Rivers Of Babylon")



Lisren here:




But even before Boney M hit the big time with their version of  "Rivers Of Babylon", Linda Ronstadt recorded a version on the album "Hasten Down The Wind".

(c) Linda Ronstadt (1976) (as "Rivers Of Babylon")


Listen here:




(c) Boney M (1978) (as "Rivers Of Babylon")
Some controversy arose when the first single pressings of Boney M only credited Frank Farian and Reyam (aka Hans-Jörg Mayer); after an agreement with Dowe and McNaughton, these two were also credited on later pressings.




(c) Steve Earle (1995) (as "Rivers Of Babylon")


Listen here:




(c) Sinead O'Connor (2007) (as "Rivers Of Babylon")


Listen here




(c) Jimmy Cliff (2010) (as "Rivers Of Babylon")
Live on July 10, 2010 in Central Park, New York

Listen here:




More versions here:


And here:




Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was an abolitionist, women's suffragist, author, and statesman who escaped from slavery to become one of the most powerful American orators of the 19th century.

In 1852 Frederick Douglass used Psalm 137 in his most important speech, commonly republished as "What to a slave is the 4th of July?" or "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?", an untitled speech originally given by Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852.
He originally gave the speech to the Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, N.Y.
The speech is over 2,500 words long.



In 1972, renowned actor Ossie Davis brought to sonic life several of Douglass's visionary writings, plying his resonant voice to produce riveting renditions of the Douglass classics "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July," "If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress," "A Plea for Freedom of Speech," and "Why I Became a Women's Rights Man.



On the next link you can listen to a sample of this reading (it is #117)






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