Joy to the World?
  • MarkB
    Posts: 1,025
    Just listen. And when you think you have heard enough, keep listening. Really. Listen to the bridge between verses. Study the instrumentation/arrangement. Notice the vocalist's embellishments on the melody. Quite a lot to take in.

    https://www.ocp.org/en-us/songs/86471/joy-to-the-world

    OCP recommends this for Christmas Day Mass. Sigh.
    Thanked by 1chonak
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 684
    I one point I thought there was a skip in the record and just kept repeating. Did you ever have a record that did that?
    Thanked by 3tandrews MarkB cesarfranck
  • Liam
    Posts: 4,942
    Because Joy to The World is one of those arcane and difficult hymns that's best left as a soloist anthem during common worship.
    Thanked by 7MarkB MNadalin fcb tandrews Schönbergian cesarfranck Kathy
  • Caleferink
    Posts: 429
    When I was a teenager I did the LifeTeen Mass thing, for which I am still doing penance. Nevertheless, when Christmastime came around our "band" knew better than to mess with Christmas carols...at least as little as we could mess with them while trying to incorporate drums, guitars, bass, etc. We certainly didn't go to lengths rearranging or adding silly "refrains" like this.

    Besides, nothing says "joy" better than forcing tenors like myself to decide whether to grovel a low A or sing up the octave at zero-dark-thirty.
    Thanked by 1cesarfranck
  • Carol
    Posts: 848
    That is an abomination! Whatever "clams" we may accidentally sing on Christmas Eve will be nothing compared to this.
    Thanked by 1cesarfranck
  • MNadalin
    Posts: 13
    Parallel fifths all over. Just overall tacky.

    I'm sure they'll be doing this at "rebuilt" parishes. Ugh.
    Thanked by 1cesarfranck
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,148
    Noise to the earth, this is so dumb,
    Let no one smell this thing.
    Thanked by 4MarkB cesarfranck Casavant Organist sdtalley3
  • bhcordovabhcordova
    Posts: 1,152
    I still prefer the Three Dog Night version!
    Thanked by 1cesarfranck
  • petrus_simplex
    Posts: 72
    I like it. It's got a good beat and you can dance to it.

    It makes me wonder how OCP can still be in business.
    Thanked by 3MarkB cesarfranck Carol
  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,032
    I mean, I love chant, but a "chant" version would be tacky, too.

    Just let things be what they are.
    Thanked by 2MarkB cesarfranck
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 986
    1 Handel vs. 4 Arrangers.
    Thanked by 3cesarfranck MarkB CHGiffen
  • jcr
    Posts: 132
    The "podcast" of a suggested liturgy is interesting. It does seem that the concept of appropriateness has been lost in the culture in general. Amazing!
  • cesarfranck
    Posts: 158
    Shake your rump to the funk! This is an awful arrangement and even more so for church music on Christmas Day.
    Thanked by 2MarkB Carol
  • ViolaViola
    Posts: 390
    Wow, it is pretty awful, not least because of the ridiculously low pitch (seems to be starting on G?)
    We will be having this as our final hymn at Midnight Mass, but in the splendid arrangement by John Rutter, with trumpet descant. From previous experience I know that the congregation will join in with enthusiasm. Key = D
    Thanked by 1GregoryWeber
  • bhcordovabhcordova
    Posts: 1,152
    If you listen to some of the Christmas song on the radio, this is in the same style. The singer is 'interpreting' the song.
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,366
    Mr Cordova -
    You just multiplied my reasons for never ever listening to the radio.
    Nor do I own a TV.
    (I used to listen to the radio when we had a PBS classical station here. But they went digital or something or other and went off the air. Now, there is nothing on the radio, AM or FM, that I would suffer my ears to hear for as much as two seconds.)
    Thanked by 1cesarfranck
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 684
    Mr. Osborn,
    I take it then you have been spared the impeachment proceedings!
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,366
    Indeed!
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,464
    Thank you MJO for your sanity...it speaks well of you and benefits is too!
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,464
    *us
  • AriasitaAriasita
    Posts: 31
    I didn't like it. So I didn't buy it. It was a fairly straightforward process.
    Thanked by 1petrus_simplex
  • packardgrrl
    Posts: 16
    When I was an organist there was one cantor who loved JttW, however, he sang it as though he was at a horse race:

    Joy….to….the….world
    The…Lord…is…come
    Let..earth..receive..her..king
    Let every heart prepare Him room
    Andheavenandnaturesing (fast)
    Andheavenandnaturesing (faster)
    Andheavenandheaven (fastest)
    And…nature...sing.

    He did the same thing to all the verses. It was really difficult for me not to laugh – somehow time just seemed to stand still. The organ was at the front right side of the sanctuary and there were pews beyond that; in other words, there was nowhere that I could hide.
  • bhcordovabhcordova
    Posts: 1,152
    I still prefer the Three Dog Night version!
    Thanked by 3mattebery madorganist Carol
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