This recording features the contributions of several Canadians to the caroling genre, as composers of new carols and arrangers of old ones. From the perennially beautiful O Come All Ye Faithful and The Holly and the Ivy to the 14th century German Christmas Song, better known as "Joseph, lieber Joseph", this is a lively recording by one of Canada's most loved choirs. Derek Holman's rollicking arrangement of Deck the Halls shows off its insouciance by capturing an unmistakable tipsiness which very likely did accompany the decking of those particular halls. Two of the arranged carols are especially notable: The Huron Carol, known as Canada's first Christmas Carol (1642), is sung here in Robert Anderson's arrangement; and a rare Nova Scotia variant of the Cherry Tree Carol collected by Helen Creighton and arranged by Louis Applebaum. |
