Yuletide favorites by twenty-four different composers are gathered in
this compilation of traditional and classical organ works. Assembled by
noted musicologist and organist Rollin Smith, these holiday classics
will enchant beginners as well as their audiences.
All of Paris, according to legend, flocked to church on Christmas Eve
for the special pleasure of hearing Daquin play his noel variations. The
composer's Noel for Flutes is featured here, along with Christmas music
by Buxtehude (How Brightly Shines the Morning Star), Guilmant
(Introduction and Variations on an Old Polish Carol), Berlioz (Rustic
Serenade to the Madonna), Brahms (Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming), and
many others. Six settings of In Dulci Jubilo feature four centuries of
variations on the traditional German carol, from an anonymous version of
the early sixteenth century to Franz Liszt's 1875 rendition, The
Shepherds at the Manger. An informative section of Notes on the Music
offers background on each of the selections.