Muzikland

50年代的男歌手﹐要狂野的有Elvis Presley﹐要夠帥的有 Rick Nelson﹐夠才華又可愛的有Paul Anka﹐但夠斯文正氣的就非Pat Boone 莫屬了。

Pat Boone 雖然會唱Rock N Roll﹐但是就像鄰家男孩一樣斯文有禮﹐有著一把雄厚的男中音嗓子﹐是一位虔誠的基督徒﹐就算是當紅的日子﹐歌迷對其妻子與孩子一樣愛護﹐形象健康﹐從沒有緋聞﹐故深受美國人愛戴﹐更是美國家庭一個家傳戶曉的名字。其女兒Debby Boone於1977年就曾經憑You Light My Life 一曲而聲名大噪。

筆者從小就在姐姐一盒翻版的Christmas Carol 卡帶認識 Pat Boone 的 Joy To The World﹐後來還是自己到80年代才買到這張黑膠唱片。唱片原本由 Dot 於1959年出版﹐其後賣了給 Paramount ﹐輾轉間又到了MCA手裡﹐現在則屬於Universal (環球) 旗下。

Pat Boone White Christmas 專輯曲目﹕
01 White Christmas
02 Jingle Bells
03 Adeste Fideles
04 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
05 O Little Town Of Bethlehem
06 Silver Bells
07 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
08 Silent Night
09 Oh Holy Night
10 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
11 The First Noel
12 I’ll Be Home For Christmas
13 Joy To The World
14 It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
15 Here Comes Santa Claus


Jingle Bells : 此首流行的美國耶誕歌曲﹐由部長James Pierpoint寫於1857年。他原是寫給波士頓主日學作感恩節之用﹐但歌曲大受歡近﹐於是耶誕節也借用此曲。
(James Pierpoint)

Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Oh Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh

Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob tails ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight

Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young,
Take the girls tonight
And sing this sleighing song;
Just get a bob-tailed bay
two-forty as his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! you'll take the lead.

**********

Adeste Fideles﹕歌曲的另一名字是O Come All Ye Faithful﹐由 John Francis Wade於1742 年在法國創作﹐其後於1852年被翻譯英語版本。
(John Francis Wade)

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.

Sing, Choirs of angels;
Sing in exultations, all ye citizens of heaven above.
Glory to God -
In the highest!
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

**********

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: 原創者已不能考查﹐歌曲首次發表於1833年由William B. Sandys搜集的“Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern ”歌集內。不過根據歌詞內的舊式英語﹐相信創作可能早至15世紀。
(Traditional)

God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our savior
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

From God our heavenly father
The blessed angel came
And unto certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by name
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

The shepherds came to Bethlehem
Where our dear savior lay
They found him in the manger
Where oxen feed on hay
His mother Mary kneeled down
And to the Lord did pray
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Now to the Lord sing praises all you within this place
And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace
This holy tide of Christmas all others doth deface
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy

*********

Silent Night ﹕歌詞寫於1816年﹐作者Josef Mohr是一位奧大利的修士﹐而旋律由他的一位風琴手Franz Gruber所寫﹐可惜歌曲創作完畢後﹐風琴壞掉了﹐於是第一次演唱時﹐是以結他伴奏。
(Josef Mohr / Franz Gruber)

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 Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born.

**********

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing﹕本是Charles Wesley寫於1739年的詩篇﹐而音樂則是Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) 於 1840年的創作﹐1855年William H. Cummings巧妙地把兩者結合﹐成為本曲。Mendelssohn名作不少﹐當中仲夏夜之夢 (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) 的結婚進行曲﹐便成為現今婚禮常用的樂章。
(Charles Wesley / Felix Mendelssohn)

Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the new born king
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled

Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the new born king

Christ, by highest heav’n adored
Christ, the everlasting Lord
Come, Desire of nations come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born prince of peace
Hail the son of righteousness
Light and life to all he brings
Risen with healing in his wings
Mild he lays his glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

**********

The First Noel ﹕原作者已不能考查﹐推算寫於16世紀﹐直到1833年被收錄於Williams Sandy的 Christmas Carols歌集內。原文Noel一字是Nowell ﹐學者們相信那是一個短稱﹐即Now All Is Well。
(Traditional)

The first Noel, the angel did say,
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.

They look-ed up and saw a Star,
Shining in the East, beyond them far;
And to the earth, it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
Noel Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.

The star drew nigh to the North-West,
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest,
And there it did, both stop and stay,
Right over the place where Jesus lay.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.

**********

Joy to the World﹕此曲歌詞於1719年由Isaac Watts (1674-1748) 所寫﹐而音樂由George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) 所作﹐也有說法是1822年由美國人Lowell Mason配上曲調﹐也有說法他只是作音樂編排。
(Isaac Watts / Handel / Lowell Mason)

Joy to the world! The Lord is come:
Let earth receive her King.
Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,
And heav'n and nature sing, and heav'n and nature sing,
And heav'n and heav'n and nature sing.

Joy to the world! The Savior reigns:
Let men their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.




既然看見﹑就把天使論這孩子的話傳開了。凡聽見的﹑就詫異牧羊之人對他們所說的話。馬利亞卻把這一切的事存在心裡﹑反復思想。牧羊的人回去了。因所聽見所看見的一切事﹑正如天使向他們所說的﹑就歸榮耀與神﹑讚美他。滿了八天﹑就給孩子行割禮﹑與他起名叫耶穌﹑這就是沒有成胎以前﹑天使所起的名。
-- 聖經