Behind the Praise - Sunday Dec. 14, 2008

BLENDED 9:30AM

"O Come All Ye Faithful"

Also known in Latin as "Adeste Fidelis", this Christmas carol is credited to an English hymnist named John Francis Wade (1711-1786). Written originally in Latin, 'O Come All Ye Faithful', it was penned as a hymn by an Englishman called John Wade. In Latin, it is known as 'Adeste Fideles'. Another Englishman called John Reading composed its music in early 1700s, which was first published in 'Cantus Diversi' in 1751. Rev. Frederick Oakley translated it to English in 1841.

Click here to read more about the history of the song: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adeste_Fideles

Click here to listen to Bianca Ryan sing the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I8XAf4Rwa4

Click here to hear a traditional setting:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZKp4npV47Q&feature=related

Click here for the various recordings of this Carol: www.youtube.com/results?search_query=o+come+all+ye+faithful&search_type=&aq=f

"Emmanuel"

In 1976, Robert McGee, then an associate pastor at The King's Temple Church in Seattle, Washington, wrote the chorus "Emmanuel." The chorus first appeared in a collection of 11 choruses entitled Choruses From The King's Temple, 1976 Book I and was used by the church in their worship services. In 1983, C.A. Music, Inc. acquired the copyright in "Emmanuel" and licensed the song to dozens of companies. Bob McGee was sued in 1999 by a former associate who claimed he stole the song from another popular song in the church. After a court battle, McGee was cleared of the charge of plagarism.

Click here to listen online:
www.imeem.com/flamzofice/music/eu_uev0E/bob_mcgee_emmanuel/

Click here for a piano arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBEG3U0N5aA


"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


CONTEMPORARY 11:00PM

"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

"We Three Kings"

Written by Rev. John Henry Hopkins (1820-1891) in 1857, he wrote both the music and lyrics of this carol. In 1863 the said Christmas carol was published in Rev. Hopkins' Carols, Hymns and Song. "We Three Kings" was written for the General Theological Seminary in New York during their Christmas pageant. Interesting Fact: Aside from being a writer and editor, Hopkins was also a stained glass artist and book illustrator.

We three kings of Orient areBearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain Following yonder star O Star of wonder, star of nightStar with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceedingGuide us to thy Perfect Light

Click here for an arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHf1p3C8iVw

Click here for another arrangement:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDe3zcTejjQ

“Remedy"

This song is by David Crowder. As you might guess from the title and the medical cross on the cover, Remedy focuses on God's constant presence as the answer to our hurts while challenging listeners to be the balm needed in the lives of others. Indeed, the Texas band's 2007club tour is part worship experience, part rallying cry to inspire change in local communities. At the same time, one could view this album as the band's personal healing in response to the tragic death of their friend and pastor Kyle Lake shortly after the release of A Collision.
Here is Davids' answer to what is worship? This is actually a really difficult question because language is such a fluid thing. A word like “worship” changes and evolves and provokes different meanings for different community sets. Over the last few decades, at least within Christian culture, the word has become synonymous with “music within a congregational context.” You say the word “worship” and a person immediately pictures in his head people singing in a room with lyrics projected on a screen. Words and the objects they signify are very difficult to separate. I’ll show you what I mean. Okay, in your head, say the word, “eight”—and try to not picture the number eight. It’s nearly impossible. So, once a word begins to signify something, it is hard to separate it from the thing it is signifying. For me, I tend to not trust moments of congregational singing as an indicator of where our true affections lie. It is a very simple thing to get caught up in the beauty of music and song erupting in a room full of people. So I rarely trust that moment. I think a better indicator of worship may be the way we interact with the world around us.

Click here to watch the David Crowder band on tour: www.youtube.com/profileuser=davidcrowderband

Click here to learn more about The David Crowder band: www.davidcrowderband.com/

Click here to visit Davids' myspace: www.myspace.com/davidcrowderband

Click here to worship along with a powerful video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3UWiJCZAz8

Click here for a live performance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGIth9d_LXE&feature=related

Here we are Here we are The broken and used Mistreated, abused Here we are Here You are Here You are The beautiful one Who came like a Son Here You are are So we lift up our voices We open our hands To cling to the love That we can’t comprehend

"The First Noel"

The word Nowell comes from the French word Noël meaning "Christmas", from the Latin word natalis ("birth"). It may also be from the Gaulish words "noio" or "neu" meaning "new" and "helle" meaning "light" referring to the winter solstice when sunlight begins overtaking darkness.

Click here to read more about the song: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_No%C3%ABl#Animaniacs_parody

Click here to listen to Clay Aiken sing the song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJhlB-CzCsc

Click here to hear Helmut Lotti sing the song:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=We4xRHMuCNg&feature=related**

Click here for an interesting arrangement - one person, two guitars:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cyWiw3cSOI