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Cecilia," four songs from Brahms' "Vier Lieder aus dem Jungbrunnen," five songs from Schuman's "Vier doppelchorige Gesange, Op. Directed by the renowned John Rutter, the CS bring us the finest sacred music, first 11 songs from England and Germany, then 14 songs from France, all written in the 19th and 20th centuries. Although the meaning of the term has since expanded to include unaccompanied secular music, it's clear that the Cambridge Singers hold to the original meaning, as none of the music on this CD would sound out of place under the Sistine's famous ceiling. Review: In the first paragraph of the 32-page liner notes to "A Cappella" we learn that "a cappella," translated from the Italian, means "in the style of the chapel," probably a reference to the Sistine Chapel in Rome, where a tradition of unaccompanied singing has gone on since the Renaissance. Songlist: Ding Dong! Merrily On High, The Colours Of Christmas, In Dulci Jubilo, What Is This Lovely Fragrance?, Away In A Manger, Hodie Christus Natus Est, Riu Riu Chiu, I Wonder As I Wander, Star Carol, Once In Royal David's City, Silent Night, In The Bleak Midwinter, Gabriel's Message, Fanfare - O Come, All Ye Faithful, O Holy Night, A New Year Carol, Joy To The World, Sleigh Ride, Deck The Hall, The Christmas Song, The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Fanfare - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 2059c 1 CD $17.95 Mixed Choir Christmas CDs

The main factor that makes this such a perfect selection of holiday music is the free intermixing of religious carols with contemporary Christmas songs. There are some new carols here - Rutter's own 'Riu Riu Chiu' (the sounds a nightingale makes) and 'The Colours of Christmas' - and some new approaches to old ones. Most of the carols are very well known, though in the arrangements of Rutter they sound completely fresh.

Rutter is a composer, conductor and arranger and he brings all of that to these high holiday gems. Review: John Rutter conducts the Bach Choir and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in what is surely the finest new recoding of Christmas carols this year.

Bach Choir : Colors of Christmas - John Rutter