Christmas Musicals for Church
Issue link: http://read.jwpepper.com/i/68157
2 A strange thing happens at Christmas time. People who ordinarily listen only to music written during the last few decades suddenly find themselves humming songs that are hundreds of years old. The folks on the escalator with you at the mall may be tapping their toes to a Renaissance dance, or swaying to a gentle tune that jolly old Henry VIII would have found familiar. Christmas opens up a portal in time through which words and melodies from many centuries freely flow into our busy modern lives. Foreword What songwriter today would dream that the song he's jotting down in his notebook will still be sung in the year 2500? It seems strange, yet many of our Christmas carols have had lives at least that long. In this cantata, A Blest Messiah Born, I have assembled some of the oldest and most-beloved carols in our Christmas repertoire and let them tell the story of the birth of Christ. One of the oldest, the Wexford Carol (which has a melody that may be close to 900 years old), appears several times to help set the scene for the next portion of the story. In addition, I have sprinkled in a few instrumental melodies from a music collection first published in 1551, arranged with a contemporary flair that should appeal to all generations. I pray that these timeless carols will help to convey the timeless story of God's love to you and your congregation this Christmas. 1. Fanfare/The Wexford Carol ........................................................... 4 Narration 1 ............................................................................................ 7 2. Of the Father's Love Begotten ........................................................ 8 Narration 2 ............................................................................................ 14 3. Gabriel's Message ............................................................................ 15 Narration 3 ............................................................................................ 22 4. Interlude I .......................................................................................... 23 5. The Friendly Beasts .......................................................................... 25 Narration 4 ............................................................................................ 31 6. Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming ...................................................... 32 7. Interlude II ........................................................................................ 40 8. Ding Dong! Merrily on High .......................................................... 42 9. Interlude III ....................................................................................... 50 10. What Child Is This?........................................................................ 53 Narration 5 ............................................................................................ 62 11. What Star is This, With Beams so Bright? .................................. 63 Narration 6 ............................................................................................ 71 12. Good Christian Friends, Rejoice .................................................. 72 Contents 65/2043&45L-2 —Larry Shackley Preview Copy