Ane Song of the Birth of Christ  
Music by W.H. Anderson
Medieval Poem

I come from heav’n high to tell
The best nowells that ever befell.
To you this day is born ane child
Of Mary meek and Virgin mild:
That blessed bairn benign and kind,
Shall you rejoice both heart and mind.

O my dear heart, young Jesus sweet,
Prepare Thy cradle in my spreit,
And I shall rock Thee in my heart,
And never more from Thee depart.
But I shall praise Thee ever more,
With sangis sweet unto Thy gloir;

The knees of my heart shall I bow,
And sing that richt Bawlulalaw,
Bawlulalaw.

Petite berceuse du début de la colonie  
Musique de Gilles Vigneault
Poésie de Robert Bibeau
Arrangement de Francine Beaubien

Il a neigé sur le bois
Et sur la rivière.
On ne voit plus les ornières
Au chemin du roi.
Fais ton somme,
Petit homme,
Un Jésus tout comme toi
Est né chez les Iroquois.
C’est un grand mystère!

Depuis trois nuits que le loup
Hurle la nouvelle!
Les renards jouent de la vièle
Tout près de chez nous.
Cloche! Cloche!
La caboche! La biche et le caribou
Sont venue voir à genoux
Et sa mère est belle…

Tu seras le grand trappeur
Dont parlait l’ancêtre.
Rien que de te voir paraître
Les loups prendront peur.
Plonge, plonge
Dans ton songe,
Pour être un jour le Sauveur
Il faudra mon doux dormeur
Renaître et renaître…

‘Twas in the Moon of Winter Time  
Music and words by Jean de Bréboeuf
Arranged by Francine Beaubien

‘Twas in the moon of winter time
When all the birds had fled
That mighty Gitchi Manitou
Sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim
And wondering hunters heard the hymn:

Jesus your King is born
Jesus is born
In excelsis Gloria

Within a lodge of broken bark
The tender babe was found
A ragged robe of rabbit skin
Enwrapped his beauty round;
But as the hunter braves drew nigh
The angel song rang loud and high:

Jesus your King is born
Jesus is born
In excelsis Gloria

O children of the forest free
O Sons of Manitou,
The holy child of earth & heaven
Is born today for you
Come kneel before the radiant boy
Who brings you beauty, peace and joy.

Jesus your King is born
Jesus is born
In excelsis Gloria

A Child’s Carol  
Music & Words by Donald Patriquin

Jesu so small and kind,
Born in a manger,
Born the Son of Man
Yet born a stranger…

He who was pure and good
Never did cry
He born to save,
Born to live, born to die.

Mary the mother pure
Brought forth that day
Jesu the Infant child
And placed him in the hay

Alleluia

Be with us now dear Child,
Be at our side,
Bless all the Children
At Christmas tide
Amen.

The First Nowell/Canon  
Johann Pachelbel
Accompaniment arranged by A. Truchot
Traditional carol arrangement by Stacey Clark

The first Nowell the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay
In fields where they lay a keeping their sheep
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.

Chorus:
Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell
Born is the King of Israel.

A star drew nigh to the northwest
Over Bethlehem it took its rest
And there it did both stop and stay
Right over the place where Jesus lay

Chorus X2

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made heav’n and earth of nought
And with his blood mankind hath bought

Chorus

Cradle Carol  
Music by David Ouchterlony
Words by E.S.

The little birds praise you, the wren and the sparrow,
The rabbits and squirrels that run in the snow,
This room may be small and the cradle be narrow,
You learn’d to be humble a long time ago.

O little Lord Jesus your moment is breaking,
The angels in heaven have polish’d your star,
Along on the hillside the shepherds are waiting,
The wise shall grow simple and find where you are.

The angels in heaven have polish’d your star,
The wise shall grow simple and find where you are.

Silence Awhile  
From “Jesus My Love, My Joy”
Music by Nancy Telfer
Words by Leonard Clark

Be silent, be silent awhile.
The Child is sleeping.
Gaze on Him now if you will;
Gaze on Him now if you will for your own sake.
He is not long out of heav’n
Angels are keeping watch over Him still.
Do not wake.
Be silent awhile.
Catch that frail singing.
Hear what you can now;
Hear what you can now before forever it goes.
The whole earth is murmuring.
O, with what beauty that rare music flows.
Ah…
Oh…
Be silent awhile,
Be silent awhile.
The Child is sleeping…

Jésus naît tendre et blême  
Traditional French
Piano Arrangement by Serge Lançan
String Arrangement by Francine Beaubien

Rondel du petit noël  
Musique de F.-J. Brassard
Poésie de Robert Choquette

Le petit noël en robe de laine
Dont le cœur est doux comme l’eau qui fuit,
Trottinant d’un pied d’enfant dans la nuit,
Rit des vilains tours dont la vie est pleine.

Il se hausse au vitre, tient son haleine
Et met dans les bas un jou-jou qui luit,
Ce petit Noël en robe de laine
Dont le cœur est doux comme l’eau qui fuit.

Il est plus mignon qu’une châtelaine,
Mais son âme est large autant qu’une plaine.
Tel un papillon fixé sur un fruit,
Le petit noël en robe de laine
Se penche à la cloche et sonne minuit.

He is so Sweet and Small  
Words by Gerald Bullet
Music by Robert Fleming

We saw him sleeping in his manger bed
And faltered feet & heart in holy dread,
Until we heard to maiden mother call,
“Come hither sirs, he is so sweet and small.”

She was more fair than ye have looked upon
She was the moon, & he her little sun
“Oh Lord,” we cried, “have pity on us all.”
“But ah,” quod she, “he is so sweet and small.”

Whereat the blessed beasts with one accord
Gave tongue to praise their little heav’nly Lord.
Oxen and asses singing in their stall,
“The King of King, He is so sweet and small.”

The Oxen  
Words by Thomas Hardy
Music by Robert Fleming

Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock.
“Now they are all on their knees,”
An elder said as we sat in a flock
By the embers in hearth-side ease.

We pictured the meek mild creatures
Where they dwelt in their strawy pen,
Nor did it occur to one of us there
To doubt they were kneeling then.

So fair a fancy few would weave in these years!
Yet, I feel, if someone said on Christmas Eve,
“Come; see the oxen kneel in the lonely barton
By yonder coomb our childhood used to know,”
I should go with him in the gloom,
Hoping it might be so.

Carol  
Music by Nancy Telfer
Words by W.R. Rodgers

Deep in the fading leaves of night
There lay the flower that darkness knows,
Till winter stripped and brought to light
The most incomp’rable Rose
That blows, that blows.

Chorus:
Sleep then, my baby, as softly I sing;
Sleep then, my Jesus: Dream dreams of a King;
Sleep then, my baby, as softly I sing.

The flashing mirrors of the snow keep turning,
Turning and returning still: To see;
To see the lovely child below
And hold him is their only will
Keep still, keep still, keep still, keep still.

Chorus

Even the doves forget to grieve
And gravely to his greetings fly
And the lone places that they leave
All follow and are standing by
On high, on high

Chorus

Summer in Winter  
Music by Godfrey Ridout
Words by Richard Crashaw

Gloomy night embraces the place
Where the noble Infant lay:
The Babe look’d up and shew’d his face,
In spite of darkness it was day!
It was thy day, Sweet, and did rise,
Not from the East, but from thine eyes.

Winter chid aloud and sent
The angry North to wage his wars.
The North forgot his fierce intent
And left perfumes instead of scars.
By those sweet eyes’ persuasive pow’rs
Where he meant frost, he scatter’d flowers.

Welcome all wonder in one sight,
Eternity shut in a span,
Summer in winter, Day in night,
Heav’n in earth, and God in man!
Great little one! Whose all embracing birth
Lifts earth to Heav’n, stoops Heav’n to earth.

Coventry Carol  
Traditional
Arranged by Stacey Clark

Lullay lulla, thou little tiny child,
By by, lully lullay,
Thou little tiny child:
By by, lully lullay.

O sisters too, how may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling
For whom we do sing,
By by, lully lullay.

Herod the king in his raging
Charged he hath this day
His men of might
In his own sight
All young children to slay

That woe is me, poor child, for thee,
And ever, morn and day
For thy parting
Neither say nor sing
By by, lully lullay.

Lullaby for Christmas  
Music by Jean Coulthard
Words adapted from an old Polish Lullaby

Lullaby, Jesus Child,
Pearl of mine be sleeping;
Lullaby, most belov’d,
Watch, watch I am keeping,
Watch, watch I am keeping.

Lull-lullaby, Jesus mine,
I’ll give Thee sweet berries growing;
Lull-lull-lullaby, most belov’d,
Watch, watch I am keeping,
Watch, watch I am keeping.

Hush, hush, hush the babe doth rest;
Like a small, small Bird
By His mother he’s sleeping.
Watch, watch, He is sleeping, sleeping.

Sleep, sweet babe, Jesus child,
Pearl of mine be sleeping;
Sleep sweet babe,
Most belov’d.
Watch, watch I am keeping,
Watch, watch I am keeping.

The Star Song  
Music by Jean Coulthard

Tell us thou clear and heavenly tongue
Where is the babe so lately sprung
Lies he the lily banks among?
O say if this new birth of ours
Sleeps laid within some ark of flowers?

Declare to us bright star
If we shall seek him in the morning’s blushing cheek?

No this you need not do
But only come and see him rest
A princely babe in his mother’s breast

He’s seen, he’s seen
All rejoice that we have found a king
Before conception crown’d