blog.sinden.org

Well, the last night of Christmas has arrived.

We hope you've enjoyed this little tour of Christmas YouTubisms. Because after all, if a composer like David Farrell can make composing an 8-bit carol an annual tradition, we can certainly post other people's nice carol videos for 12 days.

Labels: 12 Days of YouTube, Christmas, Farrell

Mmmm, delicious. The only way to sing this one.

Labels: 12 Days of YouTube, Christmas, John Rutter, King's College (Cambridge)

Peter Warlock: Bethlehem Down

Labels: 12 Days of YouTube, Christmas, King's College (Cambridge), Warlock

There's something utterly remarkable about the ending of this carol, which I think is a result of a superb director, also the composer here, who knows the acoustic of the chapel and the sound of the organ intimately.

Labels: 12 Days of YouTube, Christmas, Cleobury, King's College (Cambridge)

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Luke 2:15-21

Bonus video: BLESSED_BE_THAT_8BIT_MARY

Labels: 12 Days of YouTube, Berlioz, Christmas, Holy Name, King's College (Cambridge)

Yeah, I know you're saying to yourself, "wait a minute, it's not New Year's Eve! It's the Eve of the Feast of the Holy Name!"

Well, get over yourself. While the Holy Name is one of three feasts that take precedence on a Sunday, the rationale for today's video is that you have a lot of time to watch/listen to it as you wait to ring in the new year.

Bonus: Can you name the other two feast days that take precedence on a Sunday? (for full bonus credit, can you do it without consulting your BCP?)

Labels: 12 Days of YouTube, Christmas, Handel, King's College (Cambridge)

So much about Christmas is new, shiny, sparkly, etc. But the real story of Christmas is 2,000 years old, and of course the love that the story proclaims is even older than that.

Prudentius's fourth century text "Of the Father's heart begotten" features in today's video. (Episcopalians know the words to hymn 82 as "Of the Father's love begotten".) I love these words, because in the midst of a society that demands the latest and greatest, this connects us with our faith -- the whole story of our faith -- and reminds us that God's love has been in place since the beginning, and will be there at the end.

I chose this particular film because

• Christmas is chaotic
• It's fun to see all these people try not to look at the camera
• David Briggs's last stanza naughtiness

Labels: 12 Days of YouTube, Christmas

A real find today.

Composer-extraordinaire David Farrell's "8-bit" arrangement of the hymn tune "Irby".

Labels: 12 Days of YouTube, Christmas, Farrell

Labels: 12 Days of YouTube, Christmas, Leighton, New College (Oxford)

Poor John. Always gets overlooked in the days following Christmas.

Here is the Choir of the Chapel of the College in Cambridge named after the disciple whom Jesus loved singing "Benedicamus Domino" by Peter Warlock.

Labels: 12 Days of YouTube, Christmas, St John's (Cambridge), Warlock

Given the weather in much of the country today, and the massive snow fall in the Hoosier heartland, the line "snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow" seems appropriate.

Bonus: Good King Wenceslas sung by the Choir of York Minster.

Labels: 12 Days of YouTube, Darke, King's College (Cambridge), St Stephen, weather, York Minster

Merry Christmas!

It's time for (a new annual tradition on Sinden.org?) the Twelve Days of YouTube.

I've enjoyed a wonderful, energetic celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ at the parish where I serve, but I'm a bit tired today. Maybe I'm not the only one?

Watch the treble in the middle at exactly 2 minutes and 7 seconds in.

I'm taking a nap.

Labels: 12 Days of YouTube, Christmas, King's College (Cambridge), Whitbourn