Yuletide favorites by twenty-four different composers are gathered in this compilation of traditional and classical organ works. Assembled by noted musicologist and organist Rollin Smith, these holiday classics will enchant beginners as well as their audiences.
All of Paris, according to legend, flocked to church on Christmas Eve for the special pleasure of hearing Daquin play his noel variations. The composer's "Noel for Flutes" is featured here, along with Christmas music by Buxtehude ("How Brightly Shines the Morning Star"), Guilmant ("Introduction and Variations on an Old Polish Carol"), Berlioz ("Rustic Serenade to the Madonna"), Brahms ("Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"), and many others. Six settings of "In Dulci Jubilo" feature four centuries of variations on the traditional German carol, from an anonymous version of the early sixteenth century to Franz Liszt's 1875 rendition, "The Shepherds at the Manger." An informative section of Notes on the Music offers background on each of the selections.