Adoring the Infant King: Song #18 "Carol of Birds" aka "El Cant dels Ocells"
Adoring the Infant King
Song #18 "Carol of the Birds" aka "El Cant dels Ocells"
I discovered this song about 10 years ago back when Amie Street was its own downloading entity. With Amie Street you paid for a song depending on how times it'd been downloaded. Professional recordings by well known artists cost the same as they did on iTunes, but anything by self publishing artists was free or super cheap. This was a great way for me to add to my Christmas playlist. I downloaded a bunch of music from various college chorales for only a few pennies. It's a large reason I'm so familiar with so many lesser known Christmas carols.
I also heard this song by a woman named Susan Osborn. I absolutely loved it! I listened to it repeatedly, wrote down the lyrics, memorized it, and immediately began performing it a'cappella as a singer at the "Macaroni Grill." I later discovered the Tabernacle Choir does a version of it too, but I like the lyrics of Susan Osborn's version better. It's originally in the Catalan language from a region of Spain (the original piece has 15 verses, which you can read a translation of here. I then found sheet music for it in one of my Christmas Songbooks with yet another English version there. I tried learning those but ultimately came back to the first lyrics I'd learned.
Tyler was always very responsive to this song. I often sang him to sleep with it. I particularly remember singing it to him at the doctor's office just after he'd received his 4 month vaccines. He had to have 4 shots at once, which is no fun. Before the shots they'd told me I was welcome to stay in the room with him as long as I needed to to help him calm down. He was full blown screaming, but he calmed down within seconds of hearing this song. Since he calmed so quickly I only stayed until I'd finished the song, then walked out of the room to applause from the staff. Apparently those little rooms have great acoustics. Even with my door closed, they could hear me loud and clear.
Song #18 "Carol of the Birds" aka "El Cant dels Ocells"
I discovered this song about 10 years ago back when Amie Street was its own downloading entity. With Amie Street you paid for a song depending on how times it'd been downloaded. Professional recordings by well known artists cost the same as they did on iTunes, but anything by self publishing artists was free or super cheap. This was a great way for me to add to my Christmas playlist. I downloaded a bunch of music from various college chorales for only a few pennies. It's a large reason I'm so familiar with so many lesser known Christmas carols.
I also heard this song by a woman named Susan Osborn. I absolutely loved it! I listened to it repeatedly, wrote down the lyrics, memorized it, and immediately began performing it a'cappella as a singer at the "Macaroni Grill." I later discovered the Tabernacle Choir does a version of it too, but I like the lyrics of Susan Osborn's version better. It's originally in the Catalan language from a region of Spain (the original piece has 15 verses, which you can read a translation of here. I then found sheet music for it in one of my Christmas Songbooks with yet another English version there. I tried learning those but ultimately came back to the first lyrics I'd learned.
Tyler was always very responsive to this song. I often sang him to sleep with it. I particularly remember singing it to him at the doctor's office just after he'd received his 4 month vaccines. He had to have 4 shots at once, which is no fun. Before the shots they'd told me I was welcome to stay in the room with him as long as I needed to to help him calm down. He was full blown screaming, but he calmed down within seconds of hearing this song. Since he calmed so quickly I only stayed until I'd finished the song, then walked out of the room to applause from the staff. Apparently those little rooms have great acoustics. Even with my door closed, they could hear me loud and clear.
Lyrics:
When in the eastern sky the wondrous star did rise and filled the night with splendor. Came birds in joyful throng to sound their dainty song in a carol sweet and tender. "Hosanna to the child and to his mother mild, full reverently to render." The kingly eagle came to praise his holy name in mighty proclamation. The sparrow then replied "tonight is Christmastide. A night of jubilation." Then robin red-breast sang "now death has lost its sting in Christ our salvation." The nightingale sang sweet, the Holy babe to greet in Mary's arms a-lying. The cuckoo and the quail flew over hill and dale, their adoration vying. The barn owl's eyes were dim. Such radiance blinded him and homeward he went flying.
When in the eastern sky the wondrous star did rise and filled the night with splendor. Came birds in joyful throng to sound their dainty song in a carol sweet and tender. "Hosanna to the child and to his mother mild, full reverently to render." The kingly eagle came to praise his holy name in mighty proclamation. The sparrow then replied "tonight is Christmastide. A night of jubilation." Then robin red-breast sang "now death has lost its sting in Christ our salvation." The nightingale sang sweet, the Holy babe to greet in Mary's arms a-lying. The cuckoo and the quail flew over hill and dale, their adoration vying. The barn owl's eyes were dim. Such radiance blinded him and homeward he went flying.
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