O Holy Night (Aled Jones / David Hobson) – Christmas Countdown No. 1

Happy Christmas Eve (Esp. La vispera de Navidad) everybody!
I wrote in my ‘Christmas Countdown’ description how the songs were shared in no particular order, but I make an exception with today’s sacred song. We have arrived at the Christmas song I consider ‘the cream of the crop’, ‘the crown jewel’, ‘the summit’, and my ‘Desert Island’ XMAS choice. This is the fifth time I have referred to it in my blog. Put simply, nothing jolts me more into the religious and festive spirit of Christmas than listening to ‘O Holy Night‘.

I have presented below my two favourite versions of the song. They are from the singers pictured above, namely Aled Jones and David Hobson; the latter having appeared two times already in the top 10 Christmas Countdown list with No. 8 Oh Come, All Ye Faithful and No. 4 Holy City.

Aled Jones is a Welsh Christian singer. The version below shows when he was a teenage chorister prodigy and as a fully – grown adult. It splices the two ‘selves’together at the end which enriches the occasion and cements Jones’ legacy as a grandiose multi-generational British entertainer.

David Hobson is hands down my favourite Christmas Carols singer. The Australian tenor and composer has lavished Australian households with his impeccable voice on Christmas eve in Melbourne for decades now. I agree with Mum…I haven’t heard his equal sing at Carols.

[Verse 1]
O Holy night!The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!

[Verse 2]
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the Wise Men from Orient land
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend

[Verse 3]
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is Peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name, all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us Praise His Holy name
Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim

Two other versions I really like of O Holy Night are the following:

• Patti Smith’s introspective version – Live at the Vatican! The violin instrumental is sublime.
• The Wiggles – This version could make the Carol traditionalist cry in their weetbix, but what the heck, we were kids once too.

The following is an extract from the Wikipedia reference below:

“O Holy Night” (original title: Cantique de Noël) is a sacred song for Christmas performance. Originally based on a French-language poem by poet Placide Cappeau, written in 1843, with the first line “Minuit, Chrétien, c’est l’heure solennelle” (Midnight, Christian, is the solemn hour) that composer Adolphe Adam set to music in 1847. The English version (with small changes to the initial melody) is by John Sullivan Dwight. The carol reflects on the birth of Jesus as humanity’s redemption.

References:
1. O Holy Night – Wikipedia