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Songs Of Christmas From The Alan Lomax Collection
Various Artists
Songs Of Christmas From The Alan Lomax Collection
Genres: Blues, Folk, International Music, Special Interest, Pop, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (29) - Disc #1

This plentiful selection from Alan Lomax's field recordings will change the way you think of Christmas. Spoken narratives, mummers' plays, fife-and-drum recordings, Scottish lullabyes, liturgical chants, French a cappella ...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Various Artists
Title: Songs Of Christmas From The Alan Lomax Collection
Members Wishing: 4
Total Copies: 0
Label: Rounder Select
Original Release Date: 9/15/1998
Release Date: 9/15/1998
Genres: Blues, Folk, International Music, Special Interest, Pop, Classical
Styles: Delta Blues, Traditional Folk, Europe, Continental Europe, Holiday & Wedding, Vocal Pop, Opera & Classical Vocal
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 011661171923

Synopsis

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This plentiful selection from Alan Lomax's field recordings will change the way you think of Christmas. Spoken narratives, mummers' plays, fife-and-drum recordings, Scottish lullabyes, liturgical chants, French a cappella hymns, Alabama sacred-harp gatherings, wassail songs, and Virginia fiddle tunes drawn from diverse geographical regions, languages, and performing styles are all represented. And yet the collection somehow weaves together a coherent story of primary, emotional responses to the symbols and stories of this holiday. The mood is frequently exuberant, capturing the sound of festivals, gatherings, and worship in small towns. Other times the mood is spiritual. Vera Ward Hall, whom Lomax considered one of the greatest singers he recorded, performs a soulful blues inspired by the Bethlehem pilgrimage. And you've likely never heard anything akin to the voices recorded on the Spanish Balearic islands--their message of glad tidings comes in a quavering, throaty cry, accompanied by rapping swords, no less. The emotions behind such voices will leave you in wonder. Songs of Christmas may even restore your faith in the mystery of the season itself. --Roy Kasten

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CD Reviews

Humble and Grand
Robert P. Moseley | San Francisco, CA United States | 11/27/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a child, my mother sang Christmas songs over me to lull me to sleep. Her voice wasn't trained, but the sound was lovely and heartfelt. Listening to this CD allows me to listen to other ancestors in other lands performing in the same untrained but honest way. Regardless of the musician's skills, the spirit of Christmas lives in these recordings. Primary sources can be fun too!"
Christmas for those serious about folk music
M. J. Smith | Seattle, WA USA | 09/02/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is selected from the Alan Lomax collection of field recordings. The performance covers the range of quality normally found in such collections. It includes both music and spoken pieces. They range from the chant of a Catholic priest to instrumentals from the West Indies, from mummer plays to Rumanian carols.Tracks that particularly catch my attention are: the midwinter horn solo from Holland; the Auinaldo from Spain with voice, guitar, clarinet and baritone horn; the music and story telling of Vera Ward Hall in No Room at the End/Last Month of the Year; I must mention Sherburne as I sing with a shaped-note group; O Day from the Georgia Sea Islands. These tracks appeal to me musically - I would have a separate list for those most informative regarding Christmas traditions in Spain, Italy, British Isles, Southern US ...An excellent recording for the hard-core folk musician but not necessarily for the generic listener."