9. Quem Pastores. Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band

This CD and A Tapestry of Carols (also by Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band, who were featured at #66) are two of my favourites at Christmas. They include lots of the traditional English (and Latin) carols found in the Oxford Book of Carols, which is special to me because when I was young we used to go carolling with it. Quem Pastores is one of my favourite Christmas carols because we used to sing it every year when we went carolling, and because it's in Latin, and it has a nice tune and it's not too long. I haven't found anyone up here on the mainland who's into carolling or the Oxford Book of Carols, unfortunately, but the other night at our choir Christmas party a fellow alto (originally from England) and I forced everyone to sing the Boar's Head Carol and Quem Pastores.

Quem pastores laudavere,
Quibus angeli dixere,
Absit vobis iam timere,
Natus est rex gloriae.

Ad quem magi ambulabant,
Aurum, thus, myrrham portabant,
Immolabant haec sincere
Nato regi gloriae.

Christo regi, Deo nato,
Per Mariam nobis dato,
Merito resonet vere
Laus, honor et gloria.

My literal translation:
[Jesus] whom the shepherds praised,
[The shepherds] to whom the angels said,
"Let fear be gone from you now!
The king of glory is born!"

[Jesus] to whom the magi travelled
Carrying gold, frankincense, and myrrh,
They offered these sincerely
To the king of glory born.

To Christ the king, born God,
Given to us by Mary,
To him deserving let resound truly
Praise, honor and glory!

Here's another carol Maddy Prior does. I love the words:
Ding dong merrily on high,
In heav'n the bells are ringing:
Ding dong! verily the sky
Is riv'n with angel singing.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

E'en so here below, below,
Let steeple bells be swungen,
And "Io, io, io!"
By priest and people sungen.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

Pray you, dutifully prime
Your matin chime, ye ringers;
May you beautifully rime
Your evetime song, ye singers.
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

In the good traditional Christmas music category I include CDs like the Tavener Consort's The Christmas Album: Festive Music from Europe and America and The Tallis Scholars' Christmas Carols and Motets. I could include The Cambridge Singers too, but Rutter and his singers merit their own category!