Below you will find concert lyrics, translations and more about each piece:
Dona Nobis Pacem | Frode Fjellheim
Translation: Give us Peace
This plea for peace combines a traditional excerpt of text from the Latin Mass with the vocal style of the yoik tradition of the Sámi people, an indigenous group from northern Scandinavia, Finland, and a small part of Russia. It is considered one of the oldest surviving singing traditions in Europe. Traditionally unaccompanied and often sung in wordless syllables, yoik is a musical language of feeling: a yoik describes or evokes an emotion, a person, a landscape, an animal, or whatever the singer may choose. Fjellheim, a contributor to the soundtrack of Disney’s film Frozen, uses the combination of traditional western harmonies with the yoik to evoke a cry for peace in a turbulent world.
We have opted for handbells, using a technique called “singing bell” where a dowel is used to make the bell vibrate and “sing” just as running your finger along the top of a wine glass would, and bassoon to join the piano accompaniment. We hope this fervent prayer for peace will resonate throughout not only the concert, but the entire holiday season.
Can You Hear the Bells? | Robert Nance
Text:
Hear the bells ring for joy!
Alleluia! Joy to all the world!
Christmas Bells!
Can you hear the bells? They’re ringing, “Joy to all the world!”
‘Tis the season to be glad for Joy is here to stay.
Praise to the Creator who has brought us Love this day!
Hear the bells ring for hope!
In excelsis Deo, Gloria! (Glory to God in the highest!)
Christmas Bells!
Can you hear the bells? They’re tolling, “Hope is ours today!”
Shed this day all fear and doubt for Hope is ours today.
Praise to the Creator from whom Love is ours always!
Open now your hearts and listen to the bell refrain,
“Peace on earth, goodwill to all for Love is ours today!”
Hear the bells ring for peace!
Glory, Alleluia, peace on earth!
Christmas Bells!
Can you hear the bells? They’re singing, “Peace, goodwill to all.”
Hear the bells call each of us to celebrate each day,
Sharing Joy and Hope and Peace and Love in ev’ryway!
Can you hear the bells? Christmas Bells!
Can You Hear the Bells saw its premiere performance at The Spirit of Christmas in 2022. With both text and music by Heartland Sings Founder, President, & Artistic Director, Robert Nance, this joyful carol uses the four pillars of Christian Advent (Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love) to implore the listener to carry the spirit of the season through to each and every day of the year. Listen in the introduction and interludes as the piano and handbells play in a strict three pattern and the chorus accents a duple pattern. This “three against two” serves as a fanfare to the real message, delivered with all performers in a more legato and unified triple meter in the verses.
A La NanitaNana | Spanish Carol, arr. Norman Luboff
Translation:
Sleep, sleep my little Jesus may peace attend Thee.
Lord God, who watches over us, sweet dreams will send Thee,
To the world, little Saviour, new hope Thou art bringing
All the world, little Saviour, thy praises singing.
God’s angels hovering over Thee chant alleluia.
Sleep, sleep my little Jesus may peace attend Thee.
Lord God, who watches over us, sweet dreams will send Thee,
The melody for this beautiful lullaby comes to us from Spainard José Ramón Gomis while the text was penned by Juan Francisco Muñoz y Pabón in the early 1900s. Arranged for chorus by Norman Luboff, the simplistic voicing and harmonies transport both performer and audience member to a small stable where mother and newborn both try to find long sought rest.
Campanas de Belén | Spanish Carol, arr. Salwa Bachar
Translation:
Bells upon bells, and upon bells, one;
Look through the window, you will see the Child in the crib.
Bethlehem, bells of Bethlehem, that the angels play,
What news do you bring me?
With your flock gathered, where are you going little shepherd?
“I am bringing to the Portal requesón, lard, and wine.”
Bethlehem, bells of Bethlehem, that the angels play,
What news do you bring me?
Bells upon bells, and upon bells, two;
Look through the window, because God is being born.
Bethlehem, bells of Bethlehem, that the angels play,
What news do you bring me?
Walking at midnight, where are you heading, shepherd?
“I bring to the Child who is being born, as with God, my heart.”
Bethlehem, bells of Bethlehem, that the angels play,
What news do you bring me?
Bells upon bells, and upon bells, three;
On a Cross at this hour, the Child will suffer.
Bethlehem, bells of Bethlehem, that the angels play,
What news do you bring me?
The stars are out, shepherd, where do you want to go?
“I am going to the Portal so that the Child may let me die with Him.”
Bethlehem, bells of Bethlehem, that the angels play,
What news do you bring me?
Another traditional Spanish carol with a unique text for the Christmas season. While most Christmas carols speak only of the birth of Jesus, this carol celebrates the birth and foreshadows the pain and redemption that will come later on the cross. The tolling of the bells, sung primarily by the tenors and basses, stays constant throughout the piece while the sopranos and altos share the story. This villancico, a poetic and musical form popular in 15th to 18th century Spain, was arranged by Salwa Bachar for the Coral de la Comunidad de Madrid (Community Choir of Madrid).
Quelle est cette odeur agréable | French Carol, arr. Robert Nance, soloist David Bobay
Translation:
What is this lovely fragrance,
Shepherds, which delights our senses?
Is there anything similar to this that emerges
Amidst the flowers of spring?
What is this lovely fragrance,
Shepherds, which delights our senses?
But what brilliant light
In the night comes to strike our eyes!
Has the daylight, in its career,
Ever been so radiant?
But what brilliant light
In the night comes to strike our eyes!
At Bethlehem, in a manger,
A Saviour has been born to you!
Come, let nothing prevent you from
Adoring your Redeemer.
At Bethlehem, in a manger,
A Saviour has been born to you!
God almighty, eternal glory
May you be returned to the heavens;
May peace be universal,
May grace abound in all places.
God almighty, eternal glory
May you be returned to the heavens.
What is this lovely fragrance?
We open our “French carol” section of the program with an arrangement by Robert Nance for the tenors and basses. Beginning with a simple unison, moving to lush harmonies for the second verse, and an 8-part split underneath the solo verse, the arrangement paints a picture of a fragrance reaching the nose and the pulling a person back through time to Bethlehem, long ago. As the sensation of the scent grows, the listener recalls the often heard story with more clarity. Once the fragrance has made its plea for peace in the grandiose final verse, it fades away, leaving the listener with only the scent of a lovely memory filled with majesty and awe.
Il est né le divin Enfant! | French Carol, arr. Nicolas Burt
Translation:
(Chorus)He is born, the Heav'nly Child,
Oboes play; set bagpipes sounding.
He is born, the Heav'nly Child,
Let all sing his nativity.
'Tis four thousand years and more,
Prophets have foretold his coming.
'Tis four thousand years and more,
Have we waited this happy hour.
Chorus
Ah! how perfect are his graces!
How beautiful he is, how charming he is!
A little straw is his bed,
How beautiful he is, this divine Child
Such a small Child that you are
Reign over us entirely!
Chorus
This time the sopranos and altos take center stage with a celebratory carol proclaiming the birth of Jesus. Arranged by Nicholas Burt, the vibrant piano accompaniment and ever changing rhythmic accents provide the backdrop for this traditional French carol. Originally published in 1863 by organist Jean-Romary Grosjean, the carol sings of the wait for 4,000 years for Jesus to appear and desire for the little child to come to reign. The carol both observes the humility of Christ's birth in a stable and calls on all of us to attend to the child who has come to show the way.
Still, Still, Still | Austrian Carol, arr. Luc Jakobs
Translation:
Still, still, still, He sleeps this night so chill.
The Virgin's tender arms enfolding,
Warm and safe the Child are holding.
Still, still, still, He sleeps this night so chill.
Sleep, sleep, sleep, He lies in slumber deep.
While angel hosts from heav'n come winging,
Sweetest songs of joy are singing.
Sleep, sleep, sleep, He lies in slumber deep.
This arrangement is new to our Spirit of Christmas performances. The melody is a folk tune from the district of Salzburg which appeared for the first time in 1865 in a folksong collection of Vinzenz Maria Süß, founder of the Salzburg Museum. The words describe the peace of the infant Jesus and his mother as the baby is sung to sleep. The arrangement by Luc Jakobs matches this serene and peaceful picture as the singers try their best not to disturb the sleeping baby.
What’s Going on This Christmas? | Robert Nance
Text:
What’s going on this Christmas?
Where is the Peace we seek?
Why all the strife and divisiveness?
How can we be so weak?
Where is our Peace today?
What’s going on this Christmas?
Where does our Joy abound?
With such despair and impoverishment,
How can our Joy be found?
Where is our Joy today?
Chorus:
Oh, Life seems so crazy and difficult,
Hopeless and insecure;
Seems like we only see black and white,
Missing the colors that give us light.
What’s going on this Christmas?
Where is the Hope we’ve missed?
With such despair and such hopelessness,
How can our Hope exist?
Oh, Where is our Hope today?
What’s going on this Christmas?
Where is the Love we need?
With so much hate and such cruelty,
How can our Love take seed?
Where, oh, where is our Love today?
Chorus
What shall we do this Christmas?
The answer is simply this:
All that we need is within ourselves,
Time to open up our hearts
For the Christmas promise to be!
Christmas promise is within our hearts!
Dedicated to long-time Heartland Sings staff member, Fran Page, this carol, with music and lyrics by Maestro Robert Nance, debuted at The Spirit of Christmas in 2023. The text leads the listener on a journey, seeking the four pillars of the christian advent season (Joy, Hope, Peace, and Love) and being unable to find them amidst turmoil and division. The churning piano accompaniment mimics the riled up nature of the world today with strife and consternation always right under the surface. The poem concludes with the simple message that what we seek is within each person; to find the Christmas promise, one need only open their hearts. The unresolved nature of the last chord leaves a sense that there is still much work to be done to fulfill the promise.
Carol of the Magi | John Rutter
Text:
We rode all night through fields of darkness,
Our guiding light, the eastern star;
We came to Bethlehem, we all were weary:
We'd traveled far that night, we'd traveled far,
We'd traveled far.
We heard that here we'd find Messiah,
Foretold by seers from days of old;
We looked for palaces: and found a stable:
Could it be here, so bare and cold?
So bare and cold?
We entered in and there we saw him;
It seemed we'd known him from long before:
A child like any child, yet somehow different:
The face of every child, in him we saw,
The face of every child, we saw.
We brought him gifts, and now we offer them;
We knelt down low in silent prayer.
With eyes that seem to know both joy and sadness
The child looked down as we knelt there,
The child looked down as we knelt there.
So long ago, yet I remember
That child who lay at Mary's knee;
How strange that every child seemed so much like him:
His is the face I seem to see,
His is the face I seem to see…
This little known carol with text and music by British composer John Rutter has been a favorite of Heartland Sings for a number of years. The poem tells the story of the Magi travelling to Bethlehem to find the newborn Jesus. From following the star to arriving at such a humble location to seeing the face of every child we’ve ever known in the face of the baby, the listener is transported with the travellers, not only on their physical journey, but also on the spiritual one, that connects the love of Jesus with the love of every child in the world.
Unlike many choral works, the melody for this piece is carried mainly by the low voices of the choir. The pairing of the bassoon with those low voices makes for a wonderful duet that continues throughout the piece. Originally dedicated to a UK-wide organization called Red Balloon whose focus is on the recovery of bullied children, this piece serves as a wonderful reminder to bring the love that we feel each Christmas with us to our everyday lives.
Christmas is | Robert Nance
Text:
Christmas is just a time for sharing Christmas is, Christmas is,
Christmas is just a time for caring Christmas is, Christmas is,
Christmas is in the time we spend expressing love to one another.
Christmas is just a way of life, yes, Christmas is.
Christmas is just a time for hope, yes? Christmas is, Christmas is,
Christmas is just a time for peace, yes? Christmas is, Christmas is,
Christmas is when we help our neighbor with acceptance and compassion.
Christmas is just the way of love, yes, Christmas, Christmas is.
Christmas is in the little baby in a stable low,
Christmas is in the star that leads us to this holy child,
Christmas is in the Kings who came to bow before the Lord of Love; yes,
Christmas is when our hearts are open to receive the child!
Christmas is not just once a year, no, Christmas is, Christmas is,
Christmas is just a way of living, Christmas is, Christmas is,
Christmas is when we care for others as the Savior came to show us,
Christmas is in each moment that we care.
Christmas is in each moment that we share.
Christmas is in each moment that we love each other.
Christmas is just a way of living each and ev’ry day!
Composer’s Note:
For several years now, I have written a new carol for Heartland Sings’ Spirit of Christmas concerts from the Allen County Courthouse. I have done so for many reasons - to create something uniquely made for the talented vocal artists at Heartland Sings, to capture some of the poignant feelings that embody the holiday season, and to honor someone who has helped Heartland Sings. This year I wanted to honor my friend and colleague Natalie Young with a carol that would mark the beginning of her role as the new Artistic Director of Heartland Sings.
To get started, I asked her for some ideas of text, but it wasn’t until I asked the question, “What is Christmas?” that I was inspired to write the poem “Christmas is.” I am confident that each of us can create quite the laundry list of words to define Christmas, but for our new artistic director it was particularly important that we focus on the core meaning of Christmas: the divine child, Jesus, and his simple - yet powerful - message to love one another.
I want to thank Natalie for bringing the carol “Christmas is” to life from its inception as an idea to its premiere in concert. I also want to thank my dear friends Byron and Shelby Lamm for underwriting this new carol and for being such great patrons of Heartland Sings for so many years.
Do You Hear What I Hear? | Noel Ragney & Gloria Shayne, arr. Robert Nance
Text:
Do you see what I see?
Do you hear what I hear?
Do you know what I know?
Listen!
Said the night wind to the little lamb
Do you see what I see? (Do you see what I see?)
Way up in the sky, little lamb
Do you see what I see? (Do you see what I see?)
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear? (Do you hear what I hear?)
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear? (Do you hear what I hear?)
A song, a song high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know? (Do you know what I know?)
In your palace warm, mighty king
Do you know what I know? (Do you know what I know?)
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say! (Listen to what I say!)
Pray for peace, people, everywhere
Listen to what I say! (Listen to what I say!)
The Child, the Child sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light
Originally written by Noel Ragney & Gloria Shayne during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962, the piece became a hit when it was released by the Harry Simeone Chorale just 3 months after being written. Switching from their normal roles for this piece, Regney wrote the lyrics while Shayne composed the music. The piece tells the story of the Nativity of Jesus, loosely based on the Gospel of Matthew, incorporating fragments of the annunciation to the shepherds from the Gospel of Luke.
This arrangement, penned by Maestro Robert Nance, uses a rhythmic, ostinato-like accompaniment in the piano that keeps becoming louder and clearer as the message gets passed along the chain. One of our favorite images from the piece is that of the “mighty king” fervently urging all people to pray for peace.
Carol Medley | arr. Robert Nance
“The First Noel, Away in a Manger, O Christmas Tree, O Come All Ye Faithful, and Joy to the World!”
A good old-fashioned Christmas sing-along! Join us!
Text: The First Noel -
The First Noel, the angel did say,
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay.
In fields where they were keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel
Away in a Manger -
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
O Christmas Tree -
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, how lovely are thy branches?
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, how lovely are thy branches?
Not only green in summer’s heat, but also winter’s snow and sleet.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, how lovely are thy branches?
O Come All Ye Faithful -
O Come All Ye Faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come, ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold him, born the King of angels
O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
Joy to the World
Joy to the World the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and heaven and nature sing!
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders of his love,
And wonders and wonders of his love!
Silent Night | Franz Gruber, arr. Paul Johnson
Text:
Silent night, Holy night,
All is calm, all is bright;
Round yon virgin mother and child,
Holy infant so tender and mild.
Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Saviour is born, Christ the Saviour is born.
Christ is born, Christ is born.
Silent night, Holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light;
Radiance beams from thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
Christ the Saviour is born.
With lyrics written first in 1816 by Joseph Mohr and a melody composed for voices with guitar accompaniment in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber, Silent Night is the world’s most recorded Christmas song with more than 137,000 known recordings. On Christmas Eve, 1818, Mohr brought the words to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and specific accompaniment for that night's mass, after river flooding had possibly damaged the church organ. The church was eventually destroyed by repeated flooding and replaced with the Silent-Night-Chapel. It is unknown what inspired Mohr to write the lyrics, or what prompted him to create a new carol.
Arranged by Paul Johnson and introduced to Maestro Nance by friend and artistic advisor Jerry Rubino, this wonderful arrangement blends the traditional melody with some newer harmonies to add a unique flavor to the piece. Listen for the tight jazz harmonies in the 2nd verse which almost seem to quake as the shepherds did. Then listen for the music box style accompaniment on the beginning of the 3rd verse as the choir sings in a beautifully simple unison lullaby before splitting into 6-part, lush chords to announce “Jesus, Lord at thy birth.” Finally listen for the final major chord with an added 9th scale degree from the choir and a 7th from the piano creating a sparkle to share the good news that “Christ the Saviour is born.”
O Holy Night | Adolphe Adam, arr. Paul Langford
Text:
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth;
Long lay the world, in sin and error pining,
Till 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!
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 adoration,
Let all within us praise his holy name.
Christ is the Lord, Christ is the Lord,
O praise his name forever,
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim
Fall on your knees!
O hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born!
O night divine!
O night, O night divine!
Originally titled Cantique de Noël and premiered at the Midnight Mass of 1874 in Roquemaure, France, O Holy Night has long been a favorite of many. It holds the special honor of being the only piece that has been on all 11 Spirit of Christmas programs from Heartland Sings. Listen carefully for the piano introduction to set up a two-against-three pattern with a duple (two pattern) in the right hand while playing a triplet (three pattern) in the left hand. This allows the choir to switch back and forth between divisions of two and three throughout the piece to give impact to specific words and phrases.
Very rarely do you find a choral piece that is truly a duet between the piano and the chorus. Most often each will have their moment to shine while the other moves to the background. This is not the case in Paul Langford’s arrangement of O Holy Night! Written with a virtuosic piano solo in collaboration with the loved harmonies from the chorus, this arrangement allows the voices of Heartland Sings and the remarkable skill and musicianship of Dr. Joseph Platt on piano to both rightly shine.
Alegría! | Puerto Rican Carol, arr. Robert Nance and Adrian Mann
Text & translation:
On the roadway to the city, rides the Virgin on a donkey;
Trav’ling with her and dear Joseph is God’s Spirit so almighty.
Chorus:
Joy, Joy, Joy,
Joy, Joy and pleasure!
That the Virgin is passing with her husband towards Bethlehem.
Joy, Joy, Joy,
Joy, Joy and pleasure!
That the Virgin is passing with her husband towards Bethlehem.
In the evening on arriving in the noisy, crowded city;
There is no place to find lodging for the Virgin weak and weary.
Chorus
Sweetest music they are trilling, frightened Mary to be cheering.
Chorus
The lilting 6/8 of this carol makes you want to dance in your seat as the choir speaks of the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. A traditional Puerto Rican carol brought back to Heartland Sings by Robert Nance after a winter vacation, Alegría lives up to its title, which means “Joy.” Originally scored for harp and castanets, the piano fills in wonderfully to help both listener and performer dance their way to Bethlehem.
A Merry Christmas | Traditional, arr. Arthur Warrell
Text:
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year
Chorus:
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year
Now bring us some figgy pudding
Now bring us some figgy pudding
Now bring us some figgy pudding
And bring some out here
Chorus
For we all like figgy pudding
For we all like figgy pudding
For we all like figgy pudding
So bring some out here
Chorus
And we won't go till we’ve got some
We won't go till we’ve got some
And we won't go till we’ve got some
So bring some out here
Chorus
There is no better way to end a Christmas program than with this traditional West Country carol arranged by Arthur Warrell. The Bristol-based composer and conductor is responsible for the popularity of the carol. Warrell, a lecturer at the University of Bristol from 1909 until his death in 1939, arranged the tune for his own University of Bristol Madrigal Singers in elaborate four-part harmony, which he performed with them in concert on December 6, 1935. His composition was published by Oxford University Press the same year under the title "A Merry Christmas: West Country traditional song" and is the same arrangement you hear tonight.