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Christmas Portraits
''Christmas Portraits'' is a studio album by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman. It was released on 29 November 2019 by Sony Classical Records as the third of a series of piano-oriented albums, following '' Piano Portraits'' (2017) and ''Piano Odyssey'' (2018). Background Following the release of his piano album '' Piano Portraits'' in 2017, management at Sony Classical Records suggested to Wakeman that he record a follow-up with piano variations of Christmas songs. Wakeman thought it could work at first, but wanted to spend some time thinking about whether such a concept would work. He ultimately agreed to do it, but felt its release needed a gap after ''Piano Portraits'' and that a string section was needed to complement the arrangements. Instead, he recorded and released ''Piano Odyssey'' in 2018. In March 2019, Wakeman announced upcoming meetings about the possibility of recording a new piano album, with its theme yet to be determined. In the following months Sony gave the gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s. Born and raised in West London, Wakeman intended to be a concert pianist but quit his studies at the Royal College of Music in 1969 to become a full-time session musician. His early sessions included playing on "Space Oddity", among others, for David Bowie, and songs by Junior's Eyes, T. Rex, Elton John, and Cat Stevens. Wakeman became a member of The Strawbs in 1970 before joining Yes a year later, playing on some of their most successful albums across two stints until 1980. Wakeman began his solo career in 1973; his highest-selling solo albums are his first three, '' The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' (1973), ''Journey to the Centre of the Earth'' (1974), and ''The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table'' (1975), all concept alb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angels From The Realms Of Glory
"Angels from the Realms of Glory" is a Christmas carol written by Scottish poet James Montgomery.Bradley, Ian. ''The Penguin Book of Carols''. Penguin (1999), p27–29. . It was first printed in the ''Sheffield Iris'' on Christmas Eve 1816, though it only began to be sung in churches after its 1825 reprinting in the Montgomery collection ''The Christian Psalmist'' and in the Religious Tract Society's ''The Christmas Box or New Year's Gift''. Tune Before 1928, the hymn was sung to a variety of tunes, including "Regent Square" by Henry Smart, "Lewes" by John Randall, and "Wildersmouth" or "Feniton Court" by Edward Hopkins. In the United States, "Regent Square" is the most common tune. In the United Kingdom, however, the hymn came to be sung to the French carol tune "Iris" (''Les anges dans nos campagnes'', the tune used for "Angels We Have Heard on High") after this setting was published in the ''Oxford Book of Carols''. Sometimes the " Gloria in excelsis Deo" refrain is even ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2019 Albums
The following is a list of albums, EPs, and mixtapes released in 2019. These albums are (1) original, i.e. excluding reissues, remasters, and compilations of previously released recordings, and (2) notable, defined as having received significant coverage from reliable sources independent of the subject. For additional information about bands formed, reformed, disbanded, or on hiatus, for deaths of musicians, and for links to musical awards, see 2019 in music. First quarter January February March Second quarter April May June Third quarter July August September Fourth quarter October November December References {{DEFAULTSORT:2019 albums Albums An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records col ... 2019 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joy To The World
"Joy to the World" is an English Christmas carol. The carol was written in 1719 by the English minister and hymnwriter Isaac Watts, and its lyrics are an interpretation of Psalm 98 celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Today, the carol is usually sung to an 1848 arrangement by the American composer Lowell Mason. Since the 20th century, "Joy to the World" has been the most-published Christmas hymn in North America.It was published in 678 hymnals in North America before 1979, as recorded in the ''Dictionary of North American Hymnology''Top 20 Christmas hymnscited at Hymnary.org. History Origin "Joy to the World" was written by English minister and hymnist Isaac Watts, based a Christian interpretation of Psalm 98. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection ''The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship''. The paraphrase is Watts' Christological interpretation. Consequently, he does not emphasi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear", sometimes rendered as "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", is an 1849 poem and Christmas carol written by Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Wayland, Massachusetts. In 1850, Sears' lyrics were set to "Carol", a tune written for the poem the same year at his request, by Richard Storrs Willis. This pairing remains the most popular in the United States, while in Commonwealth countries, the lyrics are set to "Noel", a later adaptation by Arthur Sullivan from an English melody. History Edmund Sears composed the five-stanza poem in common metre doubled during 1849. It first appeared on December 29, 1849, in ''The Christian Register'' in Boston, Massachusetts. Sears served the Unitarian congregation in Wayland, Massachusetts, before moving on to a larger congregation at First Church of Christ, Unitarian, in Lancaster, also known as The Bulfinch Church, for its design by Charles Bulfinch. After seven years, he suffered a breakdow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
We Three Kings
"We Three Kings", original title "Three Kings of Orient", also known as "We Three Kings of Orient Are" or "The Quest of the Magi", is a Christmas carol that was written by John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857. At the time of composing the carol, Hopkins served as the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and he wrote the carol for a Christmas pageant in New York City. It was the first widely popular Christmas carol written in America. Lyrics Composition \header \layout global = chordNames = \chordmode soprano = \relative c'' alto = \relative c' tenor = \relative c' bass = \relative c verse = \lyricmode verseR = \lyricmode chordsPart = \new ChordNames choirPart = \new ChoirStaff \score \score :Source John Henry Hopkins Jr. organized the carol in such a way that three male voices would each sing a solo verse in order to correspond with the three kings. The first and last verses of the carol are sung together by all three as "verses ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Winter's Tale (David Essex Song)
"A Winter's Tale" is a song performed by David Essex on the 1983 album ''The Whisper''. First released as a single in 1982, it reached #2 in the UK singles chart in January 1983, kept off #1 by Phil Collins's cover version of "You Can't Hurry Love". Production and release "A Winter's Tale" was written by Mike Batt and Tim Rice in late 1982 in response to a request from Essex. It was released as a single in November 1982. It spent ten weeks in the UK chart, peaking at #2 on 15 January 1983. Later in 1983, the song was included on Essex's album ''The Whisper''. Legacy Some time after the song's release, Tim Rice wrote an additional, third verse. "A Winter's Tale" was used to open the musical All the Fun of the Fair, launched in 2008, in which it was performed by Louise English. A 2008 article by Asian News International saw "A Winter's Tale" placed as the fourth worst Christmas song. However, in 2014 ''The Independent'' reported a list of 50 Best Christmas songs by PRS for Music ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
O Holy Night
"O Holy Night" (original title: ) is a well-known sacred song for Christmas performance. Originally based on a French-language poem by poet Placide Cappeau, written in 1843, with the first line (Midnight, Christian, is the solemn hour) that composer Adolphe Adam set to music in 1847. The English version (with small changes to the initial melody) is by John Sullivan Dwight. The carol reflects on the birth of Jesus as humanity's redemption. History In Roquemaure in France at the end of 1843, the church organ had recently been renovated. To celebrate the event, the parish priest persuaded poet Placide Cappeau, a native of the town, to write a Christmas poem. Soon afterwards, in that same year, Adolphe Adam composed the music. The song was premiered in Roquemaure in 1847 by the opera singer Emily Laurey. Transcendentalist, music critic, minister, and editor of ''Dwight's Journal of Music'', John Dwight, adapted the song into English in 1855. This version became popular in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
When A Child Is Born
"When A Child Is Born" is a popular Christmas song. The original melody was " Soleado", a tune from 1974 by Ciro Dammicco (alias Zacar), composer for Italy's Daniel Sentacruz Ensemble, and Dario Baldan Bembo. The tune was based on Damicco's earlier tune "Le rose blu" published in 1972. The English language lyrics were written a few years later by Fred Jay (Friedrich Alex Jacobson IPI number 00015195204, who wrote many hits for Boney M such as Rasputin and Ma Baker). They do not make specific mention of Christmas. Fred Jay's lyrics have been sung by many artists, first version by Michael Holm in 1974 but most successfully by Johnny Mathis in 1976, whose version was the Christmas number one of that year in the UK. Performances "Soleado" is used in the 1975 Argentinean film '' Nazareno Cruz y el lobo'' (''The Love of the Wolf''), and it is credited as "Theme From the Motion Picture 'The Love of the Wolf'" on Mathis's album ''Johnny Mathis Sings the Movie Greats'' (CBS). Artists who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Saw Three Ships
"I Saw Three Ships (Come Sailing In)" is an English Christmas carol, listed as number 700 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The earliest printed version of "I Saw Three Ships" is from the 17th century, possibly Derbyshire, and was also published by William Sandys in 1833. The song was probably traditionally known as "As I Sat On a Sunny Bank", and was particularly popular in Cornwall. Lyrics The modern lyrics are from an 1833 version by the English lawyer and antiquarian William Sandys, and consist of nine verses. The lyrics mention the ships sailing into Bethlehem, but the nearest body of water is the Dead Sea about away. The reference to three ships is thought to originate in the three ships that bore the purported relics of the Biblical magi to Cologne Cathedral in the 12th century. Another possible reference is to Wenceslaus II, King of Bohemia, who bore a coat of arms "Azure three galleys argent". Another suggestion is that the ships are actually the camels used by the M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a Christmas carol. Based on an 1868 text written by Phillips Brooks, the carol is popular on both sides of the Atlantic, but to different tunes: in The United States, to "St. Louis" by Brooks' collaborator, Lewis Redner; and in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Ireland to "Forest Green", a tune collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams and first published in the 1906 ''English Hymnal''. Words The text was written by Phillips Brooks (1835–1893), an Episcopal priest, then rector of Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia and later of Trinity Church, Boston. He was inspired by visiting the village of Bethlehem in the Sanjak of Jerusalem in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his church, and his organist Lewis Redner (1831–1908) added the music. Music St Louis Redner's tune, simply titled "St. Louis", is the tune used most often for this carol in the United States.Louis F. Benson,O Little Town of Bethlehem. ''Studies Of Familiar Hymns'', Fir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
