Candlelight Carol
Encyclopedia
Candlelight Carol is a Christmas carol
with music and lyrics by the English choral composer and conductor John Rutter
. The carol was written in 1984, and was first recorded by Rutter's own group, the Cambridge Singers
on their 1987 album Christmas Night. Candlelight Carol has since been recorded by many artists, including Neil Diamond
(on his 1994 album "The Christmas Album, Volume 2", Joseph McManners
(on his 2005 album "In Dreams"), Aled Jones
(including a version in Welsh) and several important choirs including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
. It has also become a fairly popular carol for choirs at Christmas concerts in the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries.
Candlelight Carol focuses on describing the Nativity of Jesus
, focusing on the love of Mary (mother of Jesus)
for her son Jesus
.
This carol was commissioned by John Romeri, then Director of Music at the Church of the Assumption in Bellevue, Pennsylvania.
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
with music and lyrics by the English choral composer and conductor John Rutter
John Rutter
John Milford Rutter CBE is a British composer, conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, mainly of choral music.-Biography:Born in London, Rutter was educated at Highgate School, where a fellow pupil was John Tavener. He read music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the...
. The carol was written in 1984, and was first recorded by Rutter's own group, the Cambridge Singers
Cambridge Singers
Cambridge Singers is an English mixed voice chamber/choral group formed in 1981 by their director John Rutter with the primary purpose of making recordings under their own label "Collegium"....
on their 1987 album Christmas Night. Candlelight Carol has since been recorded by many artists, including Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
(on his 1994 album "The Christmas Album, Volume 2", Joseph McManners
Joseph McManners
Joseph McManners is an English actor and singer. He lives on a non-working farm in Petham near Canterbury and recently left Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys for Tonbridge School after being awarded a drama and academic scholarship.-Singing career:McManners decided to become a singer after he...
(on his 2005 album "In Dreams"), Aled Jones
Aled Jones
Aled Jones is a Welsh singer and television/radio personality, broadcaster and television presenter who first came to fame as a treble...
(including a version in Welsh) and several important choirs including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to...
. It has also become a fairly popular carol for choirs at Christmas concerts in the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries.
Candlelight Carol focuses on describing the Nativity of Jesus
Nativity of Jesus
The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the birth of Jesus in two of the Canonical gospels and in various apocryphal texts....
, focusing on the love of Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
for her son Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
.
This carol was commissioned by John Romeri, then Director of Music at the Church of the Assumption in Bellevue, Pennsylvania.