Saturday, December 4, 2010

Sounds of Christmas: O Holy Night

I love music.  I especially love Christmas music.  There's specific songs that we always listened to at the start of the Christmas season when I was younger, and they just make it feel like Christmas.  There's songs that I listen to over and over because I love the message, and there are songs that I listen to because they just make me feel happy.

"O Holy Night" is a song I have always loved, but sometimes get distracted by the enormous vocal muscles that must be exercised to execute the song (Sandy Patti's rendition comes to mind).  Beautiful, but I start focusing more on the music than on the words.

Sara Groves has a version of the song that I absolutely love.  It's a completely different melody, but the same lyrics.  I find that in this arrangement, I think more about the lyrics.  The night of Christ's birth was truly a holy, divine night.  The message in this song points us to Christ, and not only his birth, but his gospel as well.  Beautiful.

Here's a live version here:



Or listen to it for free here.

O Holy Night
Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure
arrangement Sara Groves 

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees. And, hear the angel voices!
Singing O night divine

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression will cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
May we ever bless His holy name.
O Christ is the Lord. Praise His name forever 
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

O Lord when you came to the earth
O my soul, my soul felt it’s worth
O my soul, my soul felt a thrill of hope
Yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees. And, hear the angel voices!
Singing O night divine
Singing O night, O this Holy night
Singing O night divine

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs? 

1 comment:

  1. By the way, if you enjoy this song, you can download a live version for free at http://www.saragroves.com. I like the regular version just a little better, but I always love a free option!

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