Christmas songs
Carols (some homophonic) etc.
Pastorets, Barcelona, 2003
Please note:
- All these street organ arrangements for my modifed Topsy 3 are home-made. Contact me if you want a custom arrangement - whether a modification of a number below or something new - for your own street organ, musical box, barrel piano, or whatever.
- The MP3s below use Virtual Studio Technology: this is NOT the real sound, and someone needs to sing!
- Lyrics or translations can be displayed live on a screen, karaoke-style.
| Title | Artist | La | Year | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villancico linuxero | Pánico en el núcleo (Panic in the kernel) | es | 2011 | Linux carol disparages Windows and Mac, makes Spanish nerds laugh: Que le den al Guindos, que le den al Mac, / que yo uso Linux y me va genial. |
| Carloons in the Anguish languish | Doc Clay | en | 1992 | Thrill your friends with a homophonic carol service featuring classics like 'Oh, ladle down off Bath lay him' and 'Shingled hells'. |
| Flocon, papillon (Fabulettes) | Anne Sylvestre | fr | 1969 | En souvenir de notre grand ami, Christophe Quinton: Il neigera, il neigera / puis un jour le printemps viendra / Et sur les branches il neigera / des fleurs de pommes et du lilas. Virtual excerpt: |
| I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus OR I saw mommy kissing Yog-Sothoth | H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society | en | 1955 OR 2011 | Innocent entertainment from when all families were normal OR Christmas fantasy about the Myths of Cthulhu. |
| Frosty the defrosted snowman | Lonzo and Oscar | en | 1953 | |
| All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth | Spike Jones | en | 1940 | A little girl's terrible lisp is caused by her insufficient dentition. Works well at primary schools and dental conferences. Video, possibly from another time or person: |
| Seven skeletons found in the yard | Lord Executor aka Felix Garcia (ca.1878-1952) | en | 1930 | From a calypso genius and the king of extempo: Hideous discoveries and monstrous crime / Always happen at the Christmas time. Video, possibly from another time or person: |
| Silent night | Trad. | en | 1920 | See also Carloons. |
| Jingle bells / Campanelle, campanelle, belle belle | en it | 1920 | Anglo-Italian version based on Lou Monte. Virtual excerpt: | |
| Away in a manger | Trad. | en | 1884 | |
| Laetissimam famam / Wesołą nowinę | Ryszard Ganszyniec | la | 1878 | Latin version of Polish carol |
| O little town of Bethlehem | Phillips Brooks / Henry Garman / Ralph Vaughan Williams | en | 1868 (lyrics) | See also Carloons. |
| Noi de la mare | Trad. | ca | 1866 | Best-known Catalan Christmas carol |
| We three kings of Orient are | John Henry Hopkins, Jr. | en | 1857 | See also Carloons. |
| Once In Royal David’s City | Cecil Frances Alexander / Henry John Gauntlett | en | 1848 | |
| I saw three ships | Trad. | en | 1833 | |
| The holly and the ivy | Trad. | en | 1810? | |
| Voici trois Bohémiens | Provençal | fr | 1800 | Three gypsies read the palm of the baby Jesus: Tu es, c’est mon avis, Car je le lis, de Dieu le fils tout adorable. |
| O come, all ye faithful | Frederick Oakeley / John Francis Wade | en | 1751 (tune) / 1841 (English lyrics) | |
| Sussex Carol / On Christmas night all Christians sing | Luke Wadding / Ralph Vaughan Williams / David Willcocks | en | 1684 | |
| O Jesulein süss! O Jesulein mild! | Georg Christian Schemelli | de en | 1620 | O little one sweet, O little one mild, thy Father's purpose thou hast fulfilled. |
| Een kindelien zo lovelik / Ein Kindelein so löbelich | Trad. | nl de | 1618 | My favourite Low German carol. |
| Heer Jesus heeft een hofken daer schoon bloemen staen | Anon | nl | 1617 | Lord Jesus has a garden with beautiful flowers ... make of my heart your garden, it is ready / Seigneur Jésus a un jardin où se trouvent de belles fleurs ... fais de mon cœur votre jardin, il est prêt / Heer Jesus heeft een hofken daer schoon bloemen staen ... maect van mijn hert' u hoveken, het is bereyt |
| O Tannenbaum / Oh Christmas tree | Ernst Anschütz / Melchior Franck | de en | 1615 | On request I will also sing the mildly smutty Low Saxon version. |
| Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen / Lo, how a rose e'er blooming | Michael Praetorius | de en | 1599 | My favourite Marian hymn. |
| Good King Wenceslas / Tempus adest floridum | John Mason Neale | en la | 1582 (melody) / 1853 (English lyrics) | Bohemian fantasy. |
| Coventry Carol | Robert Croo | en | 1534 (lyrics) 1591 (tune) | Herod is slaughtering the Innocents: Then woe is me, poor Child, for Thee, / And ever mourn and say; / For Thy parting, nor say nor sing, / By, by, lully, lullay. |
| The cherry tree carol | Trad. | en | 1400s | Based on the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and probably basically C15th: When Joseph was an old man, / An old man was he, / He married Virgin Mary, / The Queen of Galilee. |
| In dulci jubilo | Heinrich Seuse / Robert Pearsall | en de la | 1328 | I do both the German-Latin original and the popular Pearsall Anglicisation |
| The first Nowell | en | Born is the King of Israel. | ||
| While shepherds | en | Washed their socks by night. | ||
| Sinterklaasliedjes | Trad. | nl | Dutch Santa Claus songs. |
Update: 2023/03/06