"In Dulci Jubilo"/"On Horseback" is a double A-side single and third overall by English musician

Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

, released in November 1975 by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...

. It features an instrumental version of the German traditional Christmas carol "

In dulci jubilo "In dulci jubilo" (Latin for "In sweet rejoicing") is a traditional Christmas carol. In its original setting, the carol is a macaronic text of German and Latin dating from the Middle Ages. Subsequent translations into English, such as J. M. N ...

" and Oldfield's second version of the song following an earlier recording released as the B-side to his previous single, " Don Alfonso". The song "On Horseback" is the final and previously untitled section to "Ommadawn (Part Two)" from his third studio album ''

Ommadawn ''Ommadawn'' is the third studio album by English musician, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mike Oldfield, released on 25 October 1975 on Virgin Records. ''Ommadawn'' peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart, No. 74 in Canada, and No. 146 on ...

'', released just one month before. The single is certified Silver by the British Phonograph Institute for selling 200,000 copies in the UK.

Songs

"In Dulci Jubilo"

This is an instrumental version of the German traditional Christmas carol of the same name, known best in Britain as "Good Christian Men Rejoice". Oldfield had recorded an earlier version with Les Penning as the B-side to his previous single, " Don Alfonso", which did not chart. Oldfield felt a better version could be done, so he re-recorded it in October 1975 at

The Manor Studio The Manor Studio (a.k.a. The Manor) was a recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England, north of the city of Oxford. Overview The Manor and its outbuildings are listed Grade II on the Na ...

while keeping some of the backing tracks from the first version that were put down at his home studio in The Beacon, in November 1974. This version features Penning on two

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

s and

kortholt The kortholt is a musical instrument of the woodwind family, used in the Renaissance period. The name comes from Low Saxon and means short (''kort'') piece of wood (''holt''). This name is mentioned in the work ''Syntagma musicum'' by Michael ...

, William Murray on snare drum, and Oldfield on acoustic and electric guitars, piano, and ARP string synthesiser.'' Boxed'' album liner notes, 1976,

Most pressings from the 1970s and 1980s credit the song to R. L. Pearsall, with arrangements by Oldfield. Although

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

and Pearsall both wrote arrangements, the tune dates further back than either composer. Italian pressings of the single from 1975 credit it to J. S. Bach. The song received radio airplay across Europe during the Christmas season. It reached number 3 in the Netherlands, number 4 in the UK, and number 7 in Ireland.

"On Horseback"

"On Horseback" features Oldfield on vocals accompanied by a children's chorus, credited as the Penrhos Kids. It previously appeared as the untitled song at the end of "Ommadawn (Part Two)" from Oldfield's third studio album ''

'', released just one month before. The album's liner notes refer to it as "the horse song on side two".

recognised the song as a potential Christmas hit, and it was played on radio before it was issued as a single which prompted the label to release the single as a double A-side. On 27 July 2012 at the

2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony The opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics took place on the evening of Friday 27 July 2012 in the Olympic Stadium, London, during which the Games were formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proce ...

Oldfield performed renditions of ''

Tubular Bells Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...

'', "

Far Above the Clouds "Far Above the Clouds" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released on 12 April 1999. The single is the final track from the album '' Tubular Bells III''. "Far Above the Clouds" similarly features tubular bells in fashion with the part-one-fi ...

" and "In Dulci Jubilo" during a segment about the

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

. This rendition appears on the soundtrack album '' Isles of Wonder''. The piece was also used as the theme tune to the BBC cookery show ''Fanny Cradock Cooks for Christmas''.

Music video

A music video was made for this song, and is featured on the DVD ''

Elements – The Best of Mike Oldfield ''Elements – The Best of Mike Oldfield'' is a compilation album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1993 by Virgin Records. The compilation was first released as a single CD album, which is the most commonly available form today. It was later release ...

''. The video splits the screen up to 9 thumbnail frames, each showing Oldfield or Les Penning playing a different instrument. The music video was directed by Bruce Gowers.

Charts

Certifications

Track listing

UK seven-inch single

* "''In Dulci Jubilo''" (J. S. Bach / M. Oldfield) – 2:49 * "On Horseback" (music: M. Oldfield; lyrics: M. Oldfield / W. Murray) – 3:25 Virgin VS-131 The UK edition has "''In Dulci Jubilo''" marked as side "A". It was also issued in other European countries, excluding France.

UK twelve-inch promo single

* "An Excerpt From ''Ommadawn'' - Part I" (M. Oldfield) – 7:18 * "An Excerpt From ''Ommadawn'' - Part II" (M. Oldfield) – 3:25 Virgin VDJ-9 Side 2 is "On Horseback". Issued in a generic cover for promo records.

USA seven-inch single

* "Theme From Ommadawn" (Oldfield) * "On Horseback" (music: M. Oldfield; lyrics: M. Oldfield / W. Murray) – 3:25 Virgin (dist. CBS) ZS8-9505 Also issued in Canada.

Canada seven-inch single

* "Theme From Ommadawn" (Oldfield) * "In Dulci Jubilo" (J. S. Bach / M. Oldfield) – 2:49 Virgin (dist. CBS) ZS8-9509 Re-issue with alternate B-side.

France seven-inch single

* "Ommadawn" (Oldfield) – 3:28 * "In Dulci Jubilo" (J. S. Bach / M. Oldfield) – 2:49 Virgin (dist. CPF Barclay) 640079 : 1st ed. 1975
Virgin (dist. Polydor) 2097 930: 2nd ed. 1977 This single has been re-issued in 1977 with another picture sleeve. The B-side has been called "In Dulce Jubilo", and credited to "R.L. Pearsall, arrt Mike Oldfield". The A-side is an edited version of the end of ''Ommadawn'' part 1. This may not be the same excerpt from ''Ommadawn'' used on North American singles.

EP

# "In Dulci Jubilo" (J. S. Bach / M. Oldfield) – 2:49 # "

Wonderful Land "Wonderful Land" is an instrumental piece written by Jerry Lordan and first recorded and released as a single by The Shadows in February 1962. It stayed at number one for eight weeks on the UK Singles Chart, a feat only Elvis Presley (in 1960), th ...

" (Jerry Lordan) – 2:48 # "

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

" - (traditional, arr. Oldfield) 2:01 # "Vivaldi Concerto In C" – 3:52 Released in 1993 on CD.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:In Dulci Jubilo On Horseback 1975 singles 1993 singles British Christmas songs Mike Oldfield songs Music videos directed by Bruce Gowers Virgin Records singles