In 1840, composer Felix Mendelssohn submitted two works for a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press.
The first was his Symphony No. 2. The other was a now-forgotten work for male chorus, whose tune would be borrowed 16 years later by a British hymnist to create one of the most famous of all Christmas carols--"Hark, the Herald Angels Sing."
In the next hour, classical works like Mendelssohn’s that have inspired Christmas songs--and traditional Christmas songs that have found their way into works by Respighi, Liszt, Bizet, Orff, and many others.
FEATURED RECORDINGS
| Work Title |
Group/Artist |
Recording |
Label |
| Symphony No. 2 |
BBC National Orchestra & Chorus of Wales |
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 2 |
BBC Music MM306 |
| Liebgesang |
Kolping Chor Stuttgart |
Mendelssohn Lieder mid und ohne Worte |
Bauer Studios SACD9196 |
| Hark! The Herald Angels Sing |
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus |
The Many Moods of Christmas |
Telarc CD-80087 |
| The Adoration of the Magi |
Philharmonia Orchestra |
Respighi Orchestral Works |
Cala CACD 1007 |
| The Three Kings |
Robert Shaw and Robert Shaw Chamber Singers |
Songs of Angels |
Telarc CD-80377 |
| L'arlésienne - Suite N°1 - Ouverture |
London Festival Orchestra |
Bizet L’Arlesienne Suite |
PMG CD 160 205 |
| Weihnachtsbaum, IV. Adeste fideles |
Roland Pontinen |
Liszt: Weihnachtsbaum, etc. |
BIS CD-1164 |
| Santa Claus Symphony |
.Royal Scottish National Orchestra |
Fry: Santa Claus Symphony |
Naxos 8.559057 |
| Patapan |
Deller Consort and Instrumental Ensemble |
Orff: From Heaven Above |
RCA Victrola (LP) VICS-1376 |
| Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming |
New York Choral Artists |
O Come All Ye Faithful |
EMI CDC 7 49908 2 |
| Weihnachts Musik |
Arditti String Quartet |
Schoenberg: Weihnachts Musik |
Naïve Classics MO 782160 |
| Une Cantate de Noel |
BBC Concert Orchestra & Singers |
Christmas Music |
BBC Music MM236 |
| In the Bleak Midwinter |
Jessye Norman |
Jessye Norman: Christmastide |
Philips 420 180-2 |
| Carol Symphony IV: Allegri Energico |
Pro Arte Orchestra |
Hely-Hutchinson: Carol Symphony |
EMI Classics CDM7641312 |
