Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Christmas Challenge!

Ok, gang, this is going to sound slightly absurd, but hear me out:

In my junior year of high school, my chorus teacher had the chamber singer group sing an acapella (no piano) song called "Wassail" for the Christmas concert. I realize there are several wassail variations out there, and after some study I have deducted that it was--I think--a version known as the "Gloucestershire Wassail."

That damn song haunts me to this day. I am looking for a nice recording of it. By "nice," I mean something you might hear in a church sung in classical, seven part harmony. And by "church," I mean MY church growing up, with a volunteer but very well-practiced and well-tuned choir.

I am not interested in some guy (or girl) with an acoustic guitar, or, god forbid, the Manheimer Steamroller (?) version. No individual voices, either; the beauty is in the group effort.

Here is what it is NOT:

-it is not "Here we come a wassailing among the leaves so green..."
-it is not, Mom, the Kentucky version on Wassail! Wassail!, although that is a lovely song, too.

It most definitely contains the repeated line: "With the WAAAAAAsail BOOOOOOOOWL we'll drink to thee...." (because that was my favorite, belty, music-swelly part).

Bonus points to the person who finds it & posts it online where we can all download and sing along.

Merry early Xmas, and happy wassailing.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:41 PM

    I may be able to help you out with this. I know this version of the song, and I do a Christmas event with the Bach Society of Baltimore every year where they sing it. I'll check and see if they have a CD for sale that includes it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous9:37 AM

    you are so weird, mary

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous5:58 AM

    You know you'll have to remind your brother if you expect him to act on this.

    And how come I never heard anything about a Bach Society concert? harumph.
    Mom

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous5:04 AM

    Here, try this.
    http://www.decaturchorus.com/Music/christmas%202003/GlouchesterWassail.wma
    Love, Mom

    ReplyDelete

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