Winter & Holiday Repertoire Text

Something Told the Wild Geese music by Sherri Porterfield lyrics by Rachel Field

The text of this piece is positioned 1st in this program because it is such a beautiful poem & unfamiliar to many listeners. Remainder of program is in concert order.

Something told the wild geese it was time to go.

Though the fields lay golden, something whispered, “Snow.”

Leaves were green & stirring, berries luster glossed.

But beneath warm feathers something cautioned, something cautioned, “Frost.”

All the sagging orchards steamed with amber spice.

But each wild breast stiffened at remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese it was time to fly.

Summer sun was on their wings.

Winter, winter, winter in their cry.

Carol of the Bells by Mykola Leontovych

Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, “Throw cares away!”

Christmas is here, bringing good cheer to young & old, meek & the bold

Ding dong ding dong, that is their song. With joyful ring, all caroling

One seems to hear words of good cheer from ev’rywhere filling the air

Gaily they ring while people sing songs of good cheer Christmas is here

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas; Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas

Oh how they pound, raising the sound o’er hill & dale, telling their tale

On, on they send, on without end, their joyful tone to ev’ry home

Ding dong ding dong, Dong!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane

Have yourself a merry little Christmas 

Let your heart be light 

Next year all our troubles will be out of sight 

Have yourself a merry little Christmas 

Make the Yuletide gay 

Next year all our troubles will be miles away 

Once again, as in olden days 

Happy golden days of yore 

Faithful friends who are dear to us 

Will be near to us once more 

Someday soon, we all will be together

If the fates allow 

Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow 

So have yourself a merry little Christmas now

Habiytak bel Sayif Natartal bel Sheti by Fairouz & Rahbani Brothers

I Loved You in the Summer, I Waited for You in Winter

(Lyrics translated into English )

In the cold days, in the days of winter

When the sidewalk has become a lake & the street is drowned

This girl has come from her old house to await him

He told her to wait, but he has gone away

And forgotten her, and she pines away in winter

I loved you in the summer, I waited for you in winter

Your eyes are summer, my eyes are winter

And our reunion, oh my love, is beyond summer & beyond winter

The stranger passed by & gave me a message

My love had written with his tears

I opened the message whose letters were lost

And days passed, years made us strangers

While winter had erased the letters of the message

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas by Irving Berlin

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas 

Just like the ones I used to know 

Where the treetops glisten and children listen 

To hear sleigh bells in the snow 

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas 

With every Christmas card I write 

May your days be merry and bright 

And may all your Christmases be white

O Christmas Tree by Ernst Anschütz

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, 

How lovely are your branches! 

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree, 

How lovely are your branches! 

Not only green in summer’s heat, 

But also winter’s snow and sleet. 

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, 

How lovely are your branches!

Allegro from “Christmas Concerto” by Arcangelo Corelli

Instrumental

Hark the Herald Angels Sing music by Felix Mendelssohn lyrics by Charles Wesley 

Hark the herald angels sing 

"Glory to the newborn King! 

Peace on earth and mercy mild 

God and sinners reconciled" 

Joyful, all ye nations rise 

Join the triumph of the skies 

With the angelic host proclaim: 

"Christ is born in Bethlehem" 

Hark! The herald angels sing 

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Dona Nobis Pacem by Anonymous

The title contains the full text. It is a Latin phrase meaning, “Grant us peace.”

Joy to the World music by George Frideric Handel lyrics by Isaac Watts 

Joy to the world the Lord is come 

Let earth receive her king 

Let every heart prepare Him room 

And heaven & nature sing 

And heaven & nature sing 

And heaven & heaven & nature sing

Silent Night by Franz Xaver Gruber

Silent night! Holy night! 

All is calm, all is bright 

’round yon virgin mother and child! 

Holy infant, so tender & mild, 

sleep in heavenly peace, 

sleep in heavenly peace.

First Noel by John Stainer

The first Noel the an­gel did say was to cer­tain poor shep­herds in fields as they lay.

In fields where they lay tend­ing their sheep on a cold win­ter’s night that was so deep.

Noel, No­el, No­el, No­el, “Born is the King of Is­ra­el!”

Chanukah, Oh Chanukah music by Mordkhe Rivesman lyrics by Theodore Bikel

Chanukah, Oh Chanukah Come light the menorah

Let's have a party, we'll all dance the hora

Gather ‘round the table, we’ll give you a treat

Dreidels to play with & latkes to eat and

When we are playing the candles are burning low

One for each night, they shed a sweet light to remind us of days long ago 

One for each night, they shed a sweet light to remind us of days long ago

Happy Birthday Traditional (origins disputed)

Happy birthday to you, 

Happy birthday to you, 

Happy birthday dear students,

Happy birthday to you!

O Come, Little Children music by Johann A. P. Schulz lyrics by Christoph von Schmid

Oh, come, little children, Oh, come, one and all. 

Oh, come to the cradle In Bethlehem’s stall. 

Come look in the manger this glorious night, 

And see the Lord Jesus In heavenly light. 

Oh, see in the manger, this strange little bed; 

The Son, sweet & gentle Is resting His head. 

God’s Son, for a gift, has been sent you this night 

To be your Redeemer, your joy and delight.

Kanon in D by Johann Pachelbel

Instrumental

Winter Has Come by Anonymous

Lyrics unavailable

Jingle Bells James Lord Pierpont

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way

Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, hey!

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way

Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas by Arthur Warrell

We wish you a merry Christmas, 

We wish you a merry Christmas,

We wish you a merry Christmas

And a Happy New Year!