A Musicological Journey through Christmas via the Twelve Days of Christmas

A unique look at Craig Courtney's "A Musicological Journey through Christmas." I do not own the copyright to either the printed score or of the recorded performance. No copyright infringements are intended.

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• 12
• Days
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• Christmas

[leclavel]

Hello there! As a faculty member of a school of Architecture in Mendoza, Argentina I found this arrangement very suitable to help my students understand forms and transformations of Fine Arts trhoughout past centuries. All sorts of images (mainly from the architectural culture) were brought to the table as we listened carefully to a dimention we as architects are less used too work with, sound and time. The results of the exercise was very interesting.

[daddybearphillip]

@leclavel Lo que una manera maravillosa explorar la arquitectura. Habría adorado a estuvo allí. ¡Gracias por compartir!

What a wonderful way to explore architecture. I would have loved to been there. Thanks for sharing!

[brijhop]

Is there any way you could include a list of the pieces that the music comes from for each day? That would be very helpful. Thank you.

[daddybearphillip]

@brijhop I'm not sure I can name all of the exact compositions that inspired each day but I will give it a try. Perhaps Mr. Courtney can fill in the exact names for the days I only list a style/period.

1. Gregorian Chant

2. Middle Ages: ?

3. Renaissance Motet: ?

4. "Gloria" (1st movement) from "Gloria" by Antonio Vivaldi

5. Rococo Period: C. P. E. Bach ?

6. Romantic period: Mozart/Brahms

7. "The Swan" from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens

[daddybearphillip]

8. "Ride of the Walkyries" from Die Walkure by Richard Wagner

9. "The Emperor Waltz" by Johann Strauss, Jr.

10. "Dance of the Hours" from La Gioconda by Almilcare Ponchielli

11. "Dance of the Mirlitons" from The Nutcracker Ballet by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

12. "The Stars and Strips Forever" by John Philip Sousa

[daddybearphillip]

.... #10 should read Amilcare Ponchielli :)

[DivaElena]

Here are the compositions from Mr. Courtney himself! 1. Gregorian chant 2. No specific composer, though there is a Landini cadence at the end. 3. Palestrina 4. Vivaldi's "Gloria" 5. C. P. E. Bach 6. Mozart 7. Saint-Saens' "The Swan" 8. Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyrie" 9. Strauss' "The Vienna Woods" waltz 10. Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours" 11. Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Reed Flutes" 12. Souza's "Stars and Stripes"

[icebabe327]

Is not number 6 probably based on Brahms' Haydn Variations (St Anthony's Chorale), at a guess? Given that there is also a picture of Brahms there?

[rickmillercomposer]

@daddybearphillip 3 is Palestrina

[KatherineXIX]

I sang this in high school chorus. There weren't many men, so they needed help from us in the Gregorian chant and Wagner sections. I actually sang bass and soprano in the same movement, so it was kind of funny.

[Pogue76]

I love this piece from the Mo. Tab. Choir & orchestra. I have this recording so I know who's performing. :)

[RJdrumguy]

@sigmaclass Schoenberg would have been interesting! Maybe even in the style of a Berio sequenza for solo voice!

[sigmaclass]

I wish they would have done Stravinsky, Mahler and Schoenberg!

[DivinePearl]

I was SOOOO looking for this song! Thanks :) This was done by the Mormon Tab Choir.. (I had the CD)

[bmh4d0k3n]

@HsoJosH88 Yep! It's based on his "Vorrei spiegarvi, o Dio!" -- a concert aria for soprano.

[mindofmatt]

The renaissance motet reminds me a little of Anton Brucker.