Need all you choir members/musicians help again...........but this time it's Christmas Music

[HRHQueenOfQuotes]

this time it's Christmas Stuff. You gave me some great ideas for Easter this year. And I now need stuff for SA (or SSA, SAA etc etc, or even nice Unison stuff - modern or traditional) that's fairly straight forward, and suitable for singing during our 9 Lessons and Carols (actually we only seem to have 8!)

This is last years order of Service. The Carol's will still be Carols (probably pretty similar to what's there now) but where it says "choir" I'd like to do something different. Anything 'foreign' (particualrly african) would be quite well received too.

Carol: 521 Once in Royal David?s City ? 1st verse solo, 2nd verse choir.

1st Reading Genesis 3: 1-7 & 22-23 The fall from grace into sin

Choir There is no rose of such virtue

2nd Reading Micah 5:2 The birthplace of the Messiah foretold

Carol 508 O little town of Bethlehem 3rd verse choir

3rd Reading Isaiah 9: 2, 6 & 7 The promise of the Messiah foretold

Carol Unto us is born a son

4th Reading Luke 1: 26-38 The annunciation

Choir Do you hear what I hear (Juniors)

Carol 670 The virgin Mary had a baby boy

5th Reading Luke 2: 1-7 The Birth of Jesus

Carol 589 See him lying on a bed of Straw

Sermon

Carol 776 Away in a manger

6th Reading Luke 2:8-20 The Visit of Angels and Shepherds

Carol 641 The first Nowell - Offertory

Choir Midnight

7th Reading Matthew 2:1-12 The Visit of the wise Men

Carol In the Bleak Midwinter

8th Reading Gospel St. John 1: 1-14 The word Made Flesh

Carol 266 Hark the Herald

bump...

'The angel Gabriel from heaven came' - not sure of correct title but has gorgeous harmonies for Christmas.

Not v good on exciting Christmas stuff - my SSA days were an unrelenting torrent of Rutter et al and am now SATB. The only African thing I can think of is Siyahamba, which isn't very Christmassy...

Edward Walters' Iona?
Howell's A Spotless Rose?
Eleanor Daly's I Sing Of A Maiden
the Bogoroditsye from the Rachmaninov Vespers?

I know a great African Advent/Christmas song "He came down that we may have love" - published by the Wild Goose Worship Group (Iona community publishing section). There's also a beautiful setting of the prologue to John's Gospel called "I am for you" which is very suitable and a bit different from what people would be used to.

ooo this is looking good

What about the cowboy carol? My choir used to sing that for 9L&c
There'll be a new world beginning from tonight.
There'll be a new world beginning from tonight.
And when I climb up to my saddle
Gonna take him to my heart
There'll be a new world beginning from tonight.

Sounds awful but it's so cheery and it's sung in two parts (can't remember the other words but it was shangalangs or something) very fun
Good luck with it

How good is your choir? Britten's "This Little Babe" is awfully good but quite hard IIRC. I like Adam Lay Y Bounden. Balulalow is beautiful - Scottish (if that counts as foreign ). These are ones I remember from school. HTH

they're a good group - but quite small - so anyting in several parts that's difficult is probably out of the question