Adeste Fideles
O Come All Ye Faithful - Peuple fidèle
John Francis Wade

The 'Christmas Choirbook' is a collection of up-to-date, colorful arrangements of 22 Christmas songs from throughout the world. Among classics, dressed in new harmonic sounds, you will enjoy jazz and pop intonations, as well as gospel renditions of 'Go Tell It' and 'Joyful'. The skandinavien Christmas songs are particularly special: contemplative and musical, even droll as in the story about the Christmas troll in the finnish 'Tomtarnass Julnatt'.The 'Christmas Choirbook' offers many stylistic choices for the Christmas and Advent season choir music, so let the available CD (ED 9896-50) inspire you in the joyful singing of these pieces. Of course the recordings, meant only as a first and hopefully appealing impression, represent only a few of the many possible interpretations you will bring to the arrangements.Full verses were intentionally not recorded, although we did overlay simple instrumental accompaniments to the a cappella movements. In addition, the CD includes pure choire versions as well as some 'sing-a-longs', i.e. instrumental tracks for you to use as half-playback. / Choeur

First published in Carols for Choirs 1 in 1961 and then reprinted in 100 Carols for Choirs David Willcocks' much-loved arrangement of O come all ye faithful (Adeste fideles) has come to epitomize Christmas being sung countless times each year around the world. Using the harmonies from The English Hymnal for verses 1-5 it features his unsurpassed descant to verse 6 ('Sing choirs of angels') and a reharmonized verse 7 which builds to a stirring climax.