Holiday Moments with the City Choir of Washington

Holiday Moments
with
The City Choir of Washington
An album of our holiday favorites

Text and Translations
“Once in Royal David’s City”
Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed
Mary was that Mother mild
Jesus Christ the little child
He came down to earth from Heaven
Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable,
And his cradle was a stall
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.
And through all his wondrous childhood
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms he lay;
Christian children all must be,
Mild, obedient, good as He.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by.
We shall see him; but in Heaven
Set at God’s right hand on high.
Where like stars his children crowned,
All in white shall wait around.

“Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day”
John Gardner
Tomorrow shall be my dancing day:
I would my true love did so chance
To see the legend of my play,
To call my true love to my dance.
Refrain:
Sing O my love,
O my love, my love, my love;
This have I done for my true love.
Then was I born of a virgin pure,
Of her I took fleshly substance;
Thus was I knit to man’s nature,
To call my true love to my dance.
In a manger laid and wrapped I was,
So very poor this was my chance,
Betwixt an ox and a silly poor ass,
To call my true love to my dance.
Refrain
Then afterwards baptized I was;
The Holy Ghost on me did glance,
My Father’s voice heard from above,
To call my true love to my dance.
Refrain
Refrain

“O nata lux”
Thomas Tallis
O nata lux de lumine,
Jesu redemptor saeculi,
Dignare clemens supplicum laudes
precesque sumere.
Qui carne quondam contegi dignatus es
pro perditis
Nos membra confer effici
Tui beati corporis.
O Light born of Light,
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
Mercifully deign to accept the praises and
prayers of your suppliants.
O you who once deigned to be hidden in
flesh on behalf of the lost,
Grant us to be made members
Of your blessed body.
O my dear hert, young Jesus sweet,
Prepare thy creddil in my spreit,
And I sall rock thee in my hert
And never mair from thee depert.
“Balulalow”
Peter Warlock
But I sall praise thee evermore
With sang is sweet unto thy glor:
The knees of my hert sall I bow,
And sing that richt Balulalow.

Lo, how a rose e’er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming,
As men of old have sung.
It came, a flow’ret bright,
Amid the cold of winter,
When half-spent was the night.
“Lo How a Rose Ere Blooming”
Michael Praetorius
“The First Nowell”
arr. David Willcocks
The First Nowell, the Angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as the lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter’s night, that was so deep.
Refrain
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell
Born is the King of Israel
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the East, beyond them far
And to the earth, it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
And by the light of that same star
Three wisemen came from country far
To seek for a King was their intent
And to follow the star wherever it went
Refrain
Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made Heaven and Earth of naught
And with his blood mankind hath bought
Refrain
Refrain

O Magnum Mysterium
Giovanni Gabrieli
O magnum mysterium
Et admirabile sacramentum
Ut animalia viderent Dominum natum
Jacentem in praesepio
Beata virgo, cujus viscera
Meruerunt portare Dominum Christum
Alleluia
O great mystery
And wonderful sacrament,
That animals shall see the newborn Lord
Lying in a manger!
Blessed is the virgin whose womb
Was worthy to bear the Lord Jesus Christ
Alleluia
“Bethlehem Down”
Peter Warlock
When He is King we will give him the King's gifts,
Myrrh for its sweetness, and gold for a crown,
Beautiful robes", said the young girl to Joseph
Fair with her first-born on Bethlehem Down.
Bethlehem Down is full of the starlight
Winds for the spices, and stars for the gold,
Mary for sleep, and for lullaby music
Songs of a shepherd by Bethlehem fold.
When He is King they will clothe Him in grave-sheets,
Myrrh for embalming, and wood for a crown,
He that lies now in the white arms of Mary
Sleeping so lightly on Bethlehem Down.
Here He has peace and a short while for dreaming,
Close-huddled oxen to keep Him from cold,
Mary for love, and for lullaby music
Songs of a shepherd by Bethlehem fold.

“Today the Virgin”
John Tavener
Today the Virgin comes to the cave
To give birth to the Word eternal:
Rejoice, O World
With the Angels and the Shepherds
Give glory to the Child!
Alleluia!
Mary my wife, O Mary my wife!
What do I see?
I took you blameless before the Lord
From the priests of the Temple
What do I see?
Rejoice, O World, etc.
Joseph the Bridegroom, O Joseph the Bridegroom!
Do not fear.
God in his mercy has come down to earth,
He takes flesh in my womb
For all the world to see.
Rejoice, O World, etc.
Mary, my Bride, O Mary my Bride,
What do I see?
You, a virgin giving birth.
Strange mystery!
Rejoice, O World, etc.
Warned by the Angel we believe
That Mary gives birth inexplicable
To the infant, Christ, our God.
Rejoice, O World, etc.

“Jesus, Jesus Rest Your Head”
Leo Nestor
Jesus, o Jesus.
Jesus, Jesus, rest your head.
You have got a manger bed.
All the evil folk on earth
Sleep in feathers at their birth.
Jesus, Jesus, rest your head.
You have got a manger bed.
Have you heard about my Jesus?
Have you heard about his fate?
How his Mother went to that stable
On that Christmas Eve so late?
Winds were blowing, cows were lowing,
Stars were glowing, glowing, glowing.
Jesus, Jesus, rest your head.
You have got a manger bed.
All the evil folk on earth
Sleep in fathers at their birth
Jesus, Jesus, rest your head.
You have got a manger bed.
To that manger came three wise men
Bringing gifts from him and you
For the mother and the father
And that blessed little Son.
Milkmaids left their fields and flocks
And sat beside the ass and ox.
Jesus, O Jesus
Jesus, Jesus, rest your
head, etc.
“The Word Was God”
Rosephanye Powell
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God
And the Word was God
The same was in the beginning with God
All things were made that have been made.
Nothing was made, He has not made.
All things were made by Him.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.
And the Word was God!

“Silent Night”
Franz Xaver Gruber, arr. Robert Shafer
Silent night; Holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin, mother and child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in Heavenly peace,
Sleep in Heavenly peace
Silent night, Holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from Heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant streams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus Lord at Thy birth,
Jesus Lord at Thy birth

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
Felix Mendelssohn, arr. David Willcocks
Hark! The herald-angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled”
Joyful all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim
“Christ is born in Bethlehem”
Hark! The herald-angels sing,
“Glory to the new-born King!”
Christ by highest Heaven adored
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see,
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man, with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark the herald Angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”
Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings;
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the new-born King!”