Behind the Praise - Sunday December 27, 2009

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing"

“Hark the herald angels sing” Christmas Carol was written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley founder of the Methodist church, in 1739. A sombre man, he requested slow and solemn music for his lyrics and thus “Hark the herald angels sing” was sung to a different tune initially. Over a hundred years later Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed a cantata in 1840 to commemorate Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. English musician William H. Cummings adapted Mendelssohn’s music to fit the lyrics of “Hark the herald angels sing” already written by Wesley.

Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDPwNPAV6tAg:

Click here see the various arrangements available:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hark+the+herald+angels+sing&search_type=&aq=f

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote "Christmas Bells" on Christmas Day 1863 in the midst of the American Civil War and the news of his son Charles Appleton Longfellow having suffered wounds as a soldier in the Battle of New Hope Church, VA during the Mine Run Campaign. He had suffered the great loss of his wife two years prior to an accident with fire. His despair in the following years was recorded in his journal.The poem has been set to several tunes. The first tune was set in the 1870s by an English organist, John Baptiste Calkin, to his composition "Waltham". Elvis Presley, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and Jimmie Rodgers have recorded this version. Less commonly, the poem has also been set to the 1845 composition "Mainzer" by Joseph Mainzer. Johnny Marks, known for his song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", set Longfellow’s poem to music in the 1950s. Marks' version has been recorded by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians, Ed Ames, Kate Smith, Frank Sinatra, Sarah McLachlan, Pedro the Lion, Harry Belafonte, Johnny Cash, The Carpenters, MercyMe, Bing Crosby, and Bette Midler. Marks' composition is now generally accepted as the de facto version and is generally what is used for modern recordings of the song, though Calkin's version is still heard as well. In 1990, John Gorka recorded his arrangement entitled "Christmas Bells", which uses stanzas 1, 2, 6, and 7 of the poem. In 2008, Mark Hall, lead vocalist of Casting Crowns, recorded his own arrangement, which was released on their Christmas album, Peace On Earth.

Click here to listen to the Casting Crowns version:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7670CXvPX0

"Sing, Sing, Sing"

This song was written by Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Daniel Carson, Travis Nunn and Matt Gilder. Chris shared the following on how the song was written. "This song was written together as a band. Really it’s the only song that we’ve written together like that. Usually I have most of the song written before I bring it to the band, so this one is unique because it came out of us being in the room together. I remember the guys getting the feel of it and it beginning to come together musically. So I just found a corner of the room listening to what they were doing with my headphones and started singing out that first lyric idea of the chorus, “sing, sing, sing.” This song became a big part of our Passion regional events and World Tour. It is crazy to see how immediate this song is with the audience. It’s the most fun I’ve had with a song in a while. I love the energy and the connection this song brings with the audience."

Click here to worship along with Chris Tomlin:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGPN2Z-bgS0

"In the Cross of Christ I Glory"

There is a sto­ry (prob­ab­ly apo­cryph­al) about the in­spir­a­tion for these words. The tra­di­tion is that Bow­ring was sail­ing past the coast of Ma­cao, Chi­na. On the shore were the re­mains of an old, fire gut­ted church. Above the ru­ins, he saw the church’s cross still stand­ing. The ti­tle of this hymn was carved on Bow­ring’s tomb­stone.

"Completely Done"

The old is gone, the new is comeWhat You complete is completely doneWe're heirs with Christ, the victory wonWhat You complete is completely doneThis song was written by Jonathan & Ryan Baird. Jonathan is part of Sovereign Grace Church in Pasadena, California, where his dad, Lynn Baird, is a pastor. Jonathan leads the worship-team ministry, and is the primary worship leader at his church. Jonathan also sings and plays guitar for the band West Coast Revival (WCR) with his brothers Aaron and Ryan. Jonathan married his wife, Nicole, in October 2005. They live in Sierra Madre, California. Ryan is a member of Sovereign Grace Church in Pasadena, California, where he helps lead worship and leads the sound team. He sings and plays keyboard for the band West Coast Revival (WCR), which recently released its first self titled album. WCR plays for Sovereign Grace churches in the western U.S., and occasionally travels to the East Coast as well. Ryan and his wife, Chalene, were married in July of 2005. They live in Pasadena.

Go here to get a free download of the song:
www.sovereigngracemusic.org/albums

Click here for a sample at the Worship God '09 conference:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-4xnWaaWs8




"Before the Throne of God Above"

This song was written by Charitie Lees Smith Bancroft in 1863, but was recently published by Vikki Cook who wrote an alternate melody for it.
You can hear the old version by clicking here. http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/e/beforetg.htm
You’ll recognize the tune as “Sweet hour of Prayer”

Click here to read through the words:
www.inchristalone.org/BeforeTheThrone.html
What a great line in the second verse:
“For God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me”.

Click here to worship along:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_GB_N_79-Q&mode=related&search=





"Here in your Presence"

Jon Egan wrote this song after meditating on the presence of God. He said that as he leads worship for the youth, he sees what a few moments spent in the presence of the Lord can do for people.

Click here to listen to Jon Egan share how he wrote the song, scroll down to the song:
www.theheartofworship.org/stories.shtml

Found in Your hands, fullness of joy
Every fear suddenly wiped away
here in Your presence All of my gains now fade away
Every crown no longer on display,
here in Your presence
Heaven is trembling in awe of Your wonders
The kings and their kingdom are standing amazed
Here in Your presence, we are undone
Here in Your presence, Heaven and Earth become one
Here in Your presence, all things are new
Here in Your presence, everything bows before You
Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchlessin every way
Wonderful, beautiful, glorious, matchless in every way

Click here to worship along with the New Life worship team:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFZyT2fEK3I

Behind the Praise - Sunday December 20, 2009

"Go Tell it on the Mountain"

"Go Tell It on the Mountain" is an African-American spiritual dating back to at least 1865 that has been sung and recorded by many gospel and secular performers. It is considered a Christmas carol because its original lyric celebrates the Nativity: "Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere; go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born."

Like many carols, the precise history of “Go Tell It on the Mountain” is a bit fuzzy. Although generally considered an anonymous work, Studwell believes the piece was written by Frederick Jerome Work (1880-1942), a black composer, teacher and scholar. Work was deeply involved in the collection, arrangement and dissemination of black spirituals, so it is possible, says Studwell, that Work only discovered and preserved the song. However, Studwell’s research has led him to believe that Work actually penned the piece, which was then arranged and disseminated by his nephew John Wesley Work. Studwell places its first publication in the early 1900s, but the piece gained little notice until the 1920s when the Fisk University Singers began performing the song. Even then, it did not make much of a splash.“I looked through hundreds of carol collections and other song books and I could not find it in any collection prior to the 1950s,” says Studwell. About that time the song steadily began to gain in popularity, winning over listeners with energetic beat and its enthusiastic call to action. “Most carols of the 20th century are not so enthusiastic. This is more like some of the older carols, like Joy to the World or Come All Ye Faithful in that regard,” says Studwell. “It shows some real enthusiasm for the Christmas holiday."

Click here to listen to James Taylor sing the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifEUn1AxDYo

Click here to see the various arrangements available:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=go+tell+it+on+the+mountain+&search_type=&aq=f

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote "Christmas Bells" on Christmas Day 1863 in the midst of the American Civil War and the news of his son Charles Appleton Longfellow having suffered wounds as a soldier in the Battle of New Hope Church, VA during the Mine Run Campaign. He had suffered the great loss of his wife two years prior to an accident with fire. His despair in the following years was recorded in his journal.
The poem has been set to several tunes. The first tune was set in the 1870s by an English organist, John Baptiste Calkin, to his composition "Waltham". Elvis Presley, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and Jimmie Rodgers have recorded this version. Less commonly, the poem has also been set to the 1845 composition "Mainzer" by Joseph Mainzer. Johnny Marks, known for his song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", set Longfellow’s poem to music in the 1950s. Marks' version has been recorded by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians, Ed Ames, Kate Smith, Frank Sinatra, Sarah McLachlan, Pedro the Lion, Harry Belafonte, Johnny Cash, The Carpenters, MercyMe, Bing Crosby, and Bette Midler. Marks' composition is now generally accepted as the de facto version and is generally what is used for modern recordings of the song, though Calkin's version is still heard as well. In 1990, John Gorka recorded his arrangement entitled "Christmas Bells", which uses stanzas 1, 2, 6, and 7 of the poem. In 2008, Mark Hall, lead vocalist of Casting Crowns, recorded his own arrangement, which was released on their Christmas album, Peace On Earth.

Click here to listen to the Casting Crowns version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7670CXvPX0

"Good Christian Men Rejoice"


Words: Heinrich Suso (?-1366); Folk­lore has it that Suso, hear­ing an­gels sing these words, joined them in a dance of wor­ship. This song has survived several complex revisions since its anonymous fourteenth-century creation. In 1601, Bartholomaeus Gesius wrote a modern arrangement of the traditional tune, now called "In Dulci Jubilo." Later, Johann Sebastian Bach included Gesius's theme in his Chorale Preludes for the organ. In its next generation, Sir John Stainer made further refinements to the tune under its new title, "Nun singet und seid froh." The Christmas song that we enjoy today is courtesy of Reverend Dr. John Mason Neale, who translated the lyrics into English from German.


Click here to listen to a wonderful choral arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAHe1i27U6c

Click here for an organ arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N-ZAHRfRF8

"Away in a Manger"

Away in a manager is always the first carol that children are taught. Away in a Manger was originally published in 1885. The publication of Away in a Manger was in a Lutheran Sunday school book and this created the misconception that the lyrics of Away in a Manger were actually written by Martin Luther himself. The author is unknown. The music to Away in a Manger was composed by William J. Kirkpatrick in 1895.

Click here to see the various versions available:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=away+in+a+manger&search_type=&aq=f

Click here to hear celtic arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOJb6uOF05Q

"Untitled Hymn"

This song by Chris Rice was on his recording "Run the earth and watch the sky". What a great name for a recording.

Click here to learn more about Chris
www.christianmusic.com/chrisrice/bio.html

Click here to worship along with the song
www.youtube.com/watch?v=39XD1ImxGWw&mode=related&search=

Click here to listen to worship along with song
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_4g8_e16dc&mode=related&search=

"God is With Us"

Lisa Speir will share this reflective song by Casting Crowns. Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhzWypOp-E4&feature=PlayList&p=827530AE83D06DAF&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=8

Behind the Praise - Sunday December 13, 2009

"Joy To The World"

One of our most popular Christmas carols is the result of the efforts of Isaac Watts and Lowell Mason—and, some believe, George Frederick Handel. Watts was a frail, quiet man only five feet tall. Mason was an energetic publisher, choir director, and composer. Handel was a large, robust musical genius. Handel and Watts were contemporaries in London and one imagines they must have appreciated each other's talents. Mason lived 100 years later in Boston.
In 1719 Isaac Watts, already a notable scholar and author, sat down under a tree at the Abney Estate near London and began to compose poetry based on Psalm 98. Watts had begun writing verses as a small child. In his teen years he complained that the songs in church were hard to sing. His father said, "Well, you write some that are better." And so he did. For the next two years, young Isaac wrote a new hymn each week. (He would eventually write more than 600 of them, all based on Scripture.) Today, hymns like "Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed" and "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" are hallmarks of the Christian church, and Watts is regarded as "the Father of English Hymnody."In 1741 George Frederick Handel, who was already famous as the composer of several operas and oratorios, decided that he wanted to do a truly great work. After spending time in prayer, he arose from his knees and for 23 days labored almost continuously day and night. The immortal Messiah, now a Christmas tradition, was the fruit of that incessant struggle.A nobleman once praised Handel for the "entertainment" he had furnished in one of his compositions. In no uncertain terms Handel let the nobleman know that his music was composed to make men better, not to entertain them.Almost a century later, Lowell Mason set Watts's poem of "joy" to music. For years it was assumed that Mason used tunes from Handel's Messiah for portions of the arrangement, but the veracity of that claim is now debated among scholars. Listeners can judge for themselves. But this we know: It was Mason who ultimately brought the pieces together to give us "Joy to the world"

Click here to listen to the acapella group Take 6:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=evywpq32Oa0

Click here if you like Michael Bolton:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXY8Vtnrsxc

Click here for the various recordings:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=joy+to+the+world&search_type=&aq=f

"Down in Bethlehem"

Click here to listen to this song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXyyELHqkII&feature=related

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing"

“Hark the herald angels sing” Christmas Carol was written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley founder of the Methodist church, in 1739. A sombre man, he requested slow and solemn music for his lyrics and thus “Hark the herald angels sing” was sung to a different tune initially. Over a hundred years later Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) composed a cantata in 1840 to commemorate Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. English musician William H. Cummings adapted Mendelssohn’s music to fit the lyrics of “Hark the herald angels sing” already written by Wesley.

Click here to listen to the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDPwNPAV6tAg:

Click here see the various arrangements available: www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hark+the+herald+angels+sing&search_type=&aq=f

"Angels We have Heard on high"

The words of the song are based on a traditional French carol known as Les Anges dans nos Campagnes (literally, The Angels in our Countryside). Its most common English version was translated in 1862 by James Chadwick. It is most commonly sung to the hymn tune "Gloria", as arranged by Edward Shippen Barnes. Its most memorable feature is its chorus: Gloria in Excelsis Deo! (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest")

Click here to listen to Josh Groban:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSfhyjKr7pE

Click here for an arrangement by Christina Aguilera:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zlz1NNBsOw


“You are For me”

Click here to visit Kari Jobe’s website:
http://www.karijobe.com/

Click here to hear Kari share about how she wrote the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB4phSOaheM&feature=PlayList&p=E7841C140C8806D7&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=7
Click here to listen to Kari Jobe sing the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdfKTTeGj2U&feature=fvw

Click here to purchase “You are for me”


"O Holy Night"

"O Holy Night" ("Cantique de Noël") is a well-known Christmas carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the French poem "Minuit, chrétiens" by Placide Cappeau (1808-1877), a wine merchant and poet. Cappeau was asked to write a Christmas poem by a parish priest. It has become a standard modern carol for solo performance with an operatic finish. In the carol, the singer recalls the birth of Jesus. It was translated into English by Unitarian minister John Sullivan Dwight, editor of Dwight's Journal of Music in 1855, and lyrics also exist in other languages. On 24 December 1906, Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian inventor, broadcast the first AM radio program, which included him playing "O Holy Night" on the violin. The carol therefore appears to have been the first piece of music to be broadcast on radio. It later appeared in an edition of carols by Josiah Armes, published by Oxford in 1936, subsequently increasing its popularity.

Click here to listen to Josh Grobans' arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQWXfHzOKUU

Click here to see the other arrangements available:
www.youtube.com/results?search_query=o+holy+night+&search_type=&aq=f