Playlist
* Stars of Glory Dustin Christensen & Debra Fotheringham 2:52
* Mary’s Boy Child modern music box 2:50
* Quelle est cette odeur agréable Lisa Moscatiello 3:17
Music notes
Stars of GloryThis song is a hymn with lyrics written in 1862 by the English Catholic priest Frederick Charles Husenbeth (1786-1872), who was also a Doctor of Divinity. It has been set to a variety of tunes in different hymnals. I found one source that says that this melody was inspired by a traditional Celtic carol. That may be true, but I have heard a lot of Celtic Christmas songs and tunes, but offhand I cannot place this melody. (If anyone does recognize it please tell me its name in the comments below so I can update this post in my blog/archive.)
This duet is by Dustin Christensen & Debra Fotheringham, and was recorded when they were members of a Salt Lake City gospel/folk collective called the Lower Lights. It is from that group’s 2011 album Come Let Us Adore Him.
Here are the full original lyrics, including the third verse that is not sung here; the chords are available here.
Stars of glory shine more brightly,Purer be the moonlight’s beam,Glide ye hours and moments lightly,Swiftly down time’s deep’ning stream.Bring the hour that banished sadness,Brought redemption down to earth,When the shepherds heard with gladnessTidings of a Saviour’s birth.See the shepherds quickly rising,Hast’ning to the humble stall,And the newborn Infant prizing,As the mighty Lord of All.Lowly now they bend before himIn His helpless infant state.Firmly faithful we adore Him,And His greatness celebrate.See how Mary loves her BoychildIn the light of Bethlehem.Lowly ox and ass breathe warmlyOn the little Lord of All.Now the world is hushed in stillness,In the joy of knowing God is near!Hope and love have come to dwell here,Driving out the night of fear.Hark! The swell of heav’nly voicesPeals along the vaulted sky.Angels sing while earth rejoices,“Glory to our God on high!Glory in the highest heaven.Peace to lowly ones on earth.Joy to these and bliss be givenIn the great Redeemer’s birth.
Mary’s Boy ChildThose of you who have my Christmas Music Samplers on CD know that I am a sucker for the sound of music boxes. They sound so cheery and delicate that no matter how lively the tune might be, they fit right in with the kind of relaxing music that is the intent for today’s postings. But in this case I chose a song that is already quite relaxing and delicate.
I got this from one of those cheap compilation albums of “Christmas classics” from a no-name label that you used to always see in drug stores at Christmastime. It still has its price tag - $2.00. It came in a sleeve, not a plastic jewel case, and of course it has no liner notes. The only attribution for this track is “modern music box”.
But I can tell you about the tune itself. When I first researched it for the liner notes of another version that was on my 2007 Sampler I was rather surprised to discover that this is an American song. I had assumed that was as Jamaican as Harry Belefonte, who made it a calypso hit song in 1956. That year it rose to #12 on the Billboard pop music chart, and stayed in the top 40 for 5 weeks. The next year it made it to #1 on the British pop music charts.
Actually, I was wrong on both counts. Harry Belefonte was born in Harlem, on the teeming East Side of Manhattan. He spent four years during his youth living with his grandmother in Jamaica, but otherwise he lived his entire life in the United States. And both the words and music for Mary’s Boy Child were written by Jester Hairston, who was born in North Carolina but raised in the industrial city of Pittsburgh. You can read about how he came to write this calypso Christmas song from its Wikipedia entry, or in more detail here.
This is a very popular Christmas carol so you probably already know the words. But in case you don’t:
A long time ago in Bethlehem,So the Holy Bible say,Mary’s boy child, Jesus ChristWas born on Christmas day.
[Chorus] Hark, now hear the angels sing A new King born today And man will live for evermore Because of Christmas day
Trumpets sound and angels sing Listen what they say That man will live forevermore Because of Christmas dayWhile shepherds watched their flock by nightThem see a bright new shining starThen hear a choir singThe music seemed to come from afar
Now Joseph and his wife MaryCome to Bethlehem that nightThen find no place to born she childNot a single room was in sight [Chorus]
By and by they find a little nookIn a stable all forlornAnd in a manger cold and darkMary’s little boy was born
Long time ago in BethlehemSo the Holy Bible sayMary’s boy child, Jesus ChristWas born on Christmas day [Chorus]
Quelle est cette odeur agréable?This is a usually attributed as being a 17th century traditional noël. Certainly the tune is that old, although oddly, the earliest documentation of it is from England in 1698 when it was included in Thomas D’Urfey’s Wit and Mirth: Or Pills to Purge Melancholy. Thirty years later it appears as a drinking song called Fill Ev’ry Glass, sung by the rogues in playwright John Gay’s The Begger’s Opera that had music by the German-born Baroque composerJohann Christoph Pepusch.
The earliest reference to the song in France is from Christophe Ballard’s 1717 collection of theatrical songs La Clef des chansonniers ou Recueil des Vaudevilles depuis cent ans et plus. As I understand it, this tune was used as a drinking song in several French comic opera productions in the 18th century. It is less clear whether or not the melody was also used as a noël with these lyrics at that time. I have been unable to find any source that says when Quelle est cette odeur agréable? was first documented. Some sources I found say that it comes from the Lorraine region, but none say when it was collected there.
In my research into various carols and noels I have found that many share their melodies with drinking songs, and while drinking songs seem to come and go readily, the tunes seem to have a better chance at longevity as Christmas songs. So I don’t know if Quelle est cette odeur agréable? is a drinking song that became a noël, or if it is the other way around. I suppose it really doesn’t matter. We can be thankful that this beautiful song survives and comes back to us every year as a Christmas song, whether in French or in any one of its many poetic translations.
This French version is sung here by the American singer Lisa Moscatiello (who also plays the whistle in the instrumental break), with accompaniment by Sue Richards on Celtic harp, Jennifer Cutting on the organ, and Barbara Brown on cello. It is from Jennifer Cutting’s 2010 album Song of Solstice.
Here are the French lyrics for the full six verses of the song. Usually only the 1st, 2nd and 5th verses are sung, and that is the way that Lisa sings it here.
1. Quelle est cette odeur agréable,Bergers, qui ravit tous nos sens?S’exhale t’il rien de semblableAu milieu des fleurs du printemps?Quelle est cette odeur agréableBergers, qui ravit tous nos sens?
2. Mais quelle éclatante lumièreDans la nuit vient frapper nos yeuxL’astre de jour, dans sa carrière,Futil jamais si radieux!Mais quelle éclatante lumièreDans la nuit vient frapper nos yeux.
3. Voici beaucoup d’autres merveilles!Grand Dieu! qu’entends-je dans les airs?Quelles voix! Jamais nos oreillesN’ont entendu pareils concerts.Voici beaucoup d’autres merveilles!Grand Dieu! qu’entends-je dans les airs?
4. Ne craignez rein, peuple fidèleÉcoutez l’ange du Seigneur;Il vous annonce une merveilleQui va vous combler de bonheur.Ne craignez rein, peuple fidèleÉcoutez l’ange du Seigneur.
5. A Bethléem, dans une crècheIl vient de vous naitre-un SauveurAllons, que rien ne vous empâcheD’adorer votre redémpteurA Bethléem, dans une crèche,Il vient de vous naître-un Sauveur.
6. Dieu tout puissant, gloire éternelleVous soit rendue jusqu’aux cieux.Que la paix soit universelleQue la grace a bonde en tous lieux.Dieu tout puissant, gloire éternelleVous soit rendue jusqu’aux cieux.
You can find three versions of three poetic, singable English translations here, and a lot more can be found online by googling.
