Richard Toensing’s glorious set of 24 New Orthodox Carols for the Nativity of Christ are beautiful, approachable, and varied, both in spirit and in musical idiom. Some are in the Greco-Byzantine style, some are in a pentatonic folk-like idiom, and still others are in standard Western tonality, yet all of them have a fresh twist to melody, harmony, or rhythm.
Easy for choirs of all levels to learn, these carols present the perfect complement to a program similar to a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. They are free to use and PDFs of each carol can be downloaded at Richard Toensing’s website, http://www.richardtoensing.com/orthodox.htm.
Here are three carols to listen to, which were recorded by Cappella Romana:
The Shepherds in the Fields, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq9rtAFYUT4&;feature=related
Make Glad, You Righteous, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5o8j_idDuM&;feature=related
Once Sorrow had Silenced Zion’s Harps, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeLcX6WhCt0&;feature=related
For more information, www.richardtoensing.com/orthodox.htm.
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