It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Tune: Carol) — St Peter's Choir

St Peter's Choir(*) perform the 'American setting' of the popular Christmas carol 'It Came Upon the Midnight Clear'. This setting of the carol takes is text from a poem by Edmund Spears and its melody from a tune by Richard Storrs Willis.

Willis' tune, known as 'Carol', is the more commonly heard setting of 'It Came Upon a Midnight Clear' in the United States and predates Arthur Sullivan's setting of the text ('Noel') to an English melody. Sullivan's setting is more recognisable in the UK and is a staple of choral carol services.

(*) I have no information about this choir apart from (a.) the knowledge that it is modeled on the robed Anglican choir of men and boys and (b.) the strong suspicion that the choir hails from outside of the Britain. Any further information would be greatly appreciated.

For an enjoyable comparison, I have made the other setting available:

'Noel' by the Choir of Winchester Cathedral:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSn0_Zj6gjQ

[ Text: ]

It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heaven's all-gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o'er its Babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.

All ye, beneath life's crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

For lo!, the days are hastening on,
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of gold
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.


[ Recording available on the disk 'St Peter's Choir Sing a Christmas Carol' (NPL, 2011). ]

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[1finch2finch]

@markfromireland I'd also thought it might be St Peter's Oxford, Mark, but I'm confused by the album art, which shows two rows of adult men and boy choristers. Additionally, the choir's pronunciation of certain sounds strikes me as belonging to non-native English speakers-- though admittedly not in this song quite as much as some of the other tracks. They could still well be attached to Oxford, but if I had to guess, I'd put this choir's home somewhere in Eastern Europe. St PetersBURG, perhaps?

[markfromireland]

Unless my ears are deceiving me badly that's the Choir of St. Peter's college Oxford. They've got a very distinctively "smooth" sound. I'm not sure about the ensemble I think (but only think) that it's a supplement to the choir. If you run a search using this term

Oxford St. Peter's Choir, Oxford St. Peter's Ensemble and Roger Allen

You'll come to an Amazon playlist from an Amazon Christmas compilation album. The choir also has a page at the St Peter's College Oxford website.

markfromireland