Christmas Night: Carols of the Nativity (Remastered 2020)

Featuring

John Rutter
Nicholas Sears
Ruth Holton
Gerald Finley
Cambridge Singers
City of London Sinfonia

Robert Lucas Pearsall
Boris Ord
Anonymous (Christmas)
Herbert Howells
Harold Darke
Patrick Hadley
Anonymous
Peter Cornelius
Sir Richard Runciman Terry
Johann Georg Ebeling
Edgar Pettman
William J. Kirkpatrick

Did you know?

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Cultural Impact

The Appalachian carol "I wonder as I wander" was collected by folklorist John Jacob Niles in the 1930s and became widely known in North America through his performances and choral arrangements.

Performer Biography

John Rutter, who conducts The Cambridge Singers and City of London Sinfonia on this album, also arranged several carols and composed three new ones for the album.

Composition History

The carol "A spotless Rose" by Herbert Howells was written in a single sitting on October 22, 1919, and is considered a characteristic example of his style.

Album & Artwork

This album features twenty-two carols, spanning over six centuries, all focused on the birth of Christ in Bethlehem.

Cultural Impact

Many carols on this album, like "In the bleak mid-winter," gained widespread popularity through the annual Christmas Eve Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge.

Composer Biography

Boris Ord, the composer of "Adam lay ybounden," was the organist of King's College, Cambridge, from 1929 to 1957.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in April 1985 in the Great Hall of University College School by the BBC Transcription Recording Unit and remastered in June 2020.