This Is Christmas: Complete Carols by Alfred Burt

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
An American Christmas classic, originally recorded in Hollywood in 1963 and digitally remastered in 1995, these performances by the Voices of Jimmy Joyce capture on CD the original arrangements of all 15 Christmas classics by Alfred S. Burt. This recording was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1964. It includes This is Christmas, Some Children See Him, and The Star Carol.

Tracks:

This Is Christmas - Jimmy Joyce 16-Voic
Christmas Cometh Caroling
Ah, Bleak and Chill the Wintery Wind
Come, Dear Children
Some Children See Him
Sleep, Baby Mine
All on a Christmas Morining
Caroling, Caroling
The Star Carol
We'll Dress the House
Christ in the Stranger's Guise
Nigh Bethleham
What Are the Signs
Jesu Parvule
O Hearken Ye

Album Description

An American Christmas classic, originally recorded in Hollywood in 1963 and digitally remastered in 1995, these performances by the Voices of Jimmy Joyce capture on CD the original arrangements of all 15 Christmas classics by Alfred S. Burt. This recording was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1964. It includes This is Christmas, Some Children See Him, and The Star Carol.

Customer Reviews:

This is Christmas.......2007-01-10

As a companion to The Christmas Mood, it will bring joy to your heart.
This Christmas music is lively and joyful.

Beautiful.......2006-12-06

Music is appreciated on opinion and personal taste, so I'll simply give mine.

This collection is far too good to be missed by anyone, dissuaded by a couple of negative reviews. If you haven't already discovered the Burt Carols, this is an excellent introduction. Alfred Burt was in attendance at these recording sessions by volunteer professional singers, including the King Sisters. Jimmy Joyce did a fantastic job of organizing (and I'm assuming arranging) these carols.

The arrangements and vocals are thoughtful, and beautiful. What an amazing legacy that Burt left behind, as he died at the young age of 33.

This music captures the spirit of the Christmas season perfectly, and musical snobbery should have no place in the face of these masterpieces.

You will love this collection of the complete Burt carols. It is part of an annual tradition at our household.

- Dana Countryman
Everett, WA

Modern Christmas Carols performed soft and sweet.......2006-10-04

The carols of Alfred Burt have always been something special, and thanks to the efforts of various singers (Nat King Cole, Julie Andrews, John Williams and the Boston pops, etc.) many of these carols are still heard occasionally though not frequently enough to my ears.

This album originated on Lp in the 1960s as a stereo answer to an earlier 10" Lp on the Columbia label which featured many of the Burt carols. This is a complete collection of all 15 carols. The effect is simple and pure as if a group of carolers were gathered at your door. The voices blend beautifully. There are a few glitches in the transfer and the opening notes of "We'll Dress The House" have been clipped.

For anyone looking for the real music of Christmas but wanting something beyond the standard two dozen famous carols, this disc will provide a welcome change of pace.

a definite five star album.......2005-12-19

I have nearly 120 Christmas albums. This ranks as one of my favorites. I am quite suprised that some of the reviewers were so critical. First, to the best of my knowledge there is currently no other complete collection of the Alfred S. Burt carols. That alone makes this album special. Secondly, the 16 voice a capella choir of the Voices of Jimmy Joyce do a wonderful job. The singing is crisp and concise, the lyrics easily understood. The musicianship is excellent and the arrangements are extremely good. The third verse is always performed with the original Burt harmonization. While the additions of new arrangements distress some reviewers, I believe that repeating the same harmonization for multiple verses would become tiresome and dry. The melodies are exquisite and harmonize well in new ways. The arrangements used by Joyce are fresh, but in no way dissimilar or out of context with the originals. The effect is of a continuous whole and the album works perfectly. I would highly recommend this album for someone wishing to purchase quality Christmas music. As for the Waring version, I have not heard it, and it is not currently available on CD. It would seem rather ridiculous to deny yourself the joy of these carols now in hopes that maybe at some future time another version might be released.

A Tall Order, but a Good Effort.......2005-07-15

(I own the original LP version of this album, so I am here commenting on the musical content only, not the quality of digital transfer, remastering or what-have-you.) Overall I was quite pleased with this album, my only previous exposure to Burt's carols being the selections performed by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians. I will say that those remain my favorite performances of those particular tunes, as they are very simply interpreted and altered very little, if at all, from Burt's original scores, and that seems to yield the best results. However, I don't think the Joyce Singers' re-arrangements are inappropriate, as some other reviewers have expressed. In a few cases the arrangements get more elaborate than they maybe need to be, but I would not go as far as to say they are in bad taste. Burt's melodies are very strong --they do not suffer from the changes in the supporting parts, and if I am not mistaken, each cut on the album contains at least one verse of the composer's original part-writing. I have yet to hear an album of exclusively Burt carols that I've enjoyed more; very good overall. But, to my knowledge, nobody's recorded the perfect one yet.

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