Christmas Caroling
Posted on Tue 7th Jan, 2020 @ 4:02am by Lieutenant JG Kellian Michaels & Mary Elizabeth Gregory & Lieutenant Commander Kiara Lena & Lieutenant Commander Alora Baro & Khellian s'Siedhri MD & Maiek s'Ethien & Tessanna (Tessa) Valeri & Makila i'Hartelhai
Edited on on Wed 8th Jan, 2020 @ 10:04pm
2,833 words; about a 14 minute read
Mission:
Resolution
Location: Promenade, starting at Orchids & Jazz
Timeline: MD-15 (December 24, 2393)
The small choral group and pair of instrumentalists had just completed their first performance of the evening, at Alexia Redding's Varuna Spa on Deck 595. The spa had had wonderful acoustics, and Mary Elizabeth Gregory was delighted that they'd been asked to perform Christmas carols there. The performers had now ridden the turbolift down five decks and had arranged themselves in a semi-circle at the entrance to Orchids & Jazz. Mary Elizabeth glanced at the group to make sure everyone was ready and then gave the downbeat for them to begin the first song.
Personent hodie
voces puerulae,
laudantes iucunde
qui nobis est natus,
summo Deo datus.
Et de vir, vir, vir,
et de vir, vir, vir,
et de virgineo ventre procreatus.
Mary Elizabeth wanted to melt with rapture. The song sounded so beautiful, and the simple chime accompanying it, meant to sound like a church bell, was the perfect touch. Hearing the song through a universal translator was odd, but she'd gotten used to that.
It still astonished her how many non-humans had expressed interest in the caroling--The group included a Bajoran and a whole contingent of Romulans, who were quite good singers. It didn't hurt at all that one of the two instrumentalists was Maiek s'Ethien. Mary Elizabeth half-wondered if he had been part of the draw! And his bahtain--he could play that any time, as far as she was concerned. It sounded lovely as an accompaniment to the current piece, almost like a viola da gamba, and it blended well with Kellian Michaels' cello.
In mundo nascitur,
pannis involvitur
praesepi ponitur
stabulo brutorum,
rector supernorum.
Perdidit, dit, dit,
perdidit, dit, dit,
perdidit spolia princeps infernorum.
Magi tres venerunt,
parvulum inquirunt,
Bethlehem adeunt,
stellulam sequendo,
ipsum adorando
Aurum, thus, thus, thus,
Aurum, thus, thus, thus
Aurum, thus, et myrrham ei offerendo.
Omnes clericuli, pariter pueri,
Cantent ut angeli, aduenisti mundo,
Laudes tibi fundo.
Ide-o, o, o,
Ide-o, o, o.
Ideo gloria in excelsis Deo.
She hoped it sounded as good away from the small choir as it sounded in the midst of it. They ended and bowed toward their audience.
"That has a nice little echo here in the large hall," Jade said, stopping to listen.
"Beautifully sung," added the doorman, Reon Velasquez. "It reminds me of mass on Christmas Eve, when I was a child."
"We are so glad you're enjoying it," Mary Elizabeth said with a smile, which gave the singers time to turn pages to the next song.
Alora didn't know many of the ancient Earth songs, but that's what a PADD was for, and thank the Prophets, she could read music. These were nicely beautiful, and she looked forward to participating in this ritual with her group.
Kiara loved music, and this was a great opportunity to participate in a Terran ritual and learn Terran music. She'd done a good deal of research in addition to the practicing to make sure she knew the soprano line.
Tessa sang whatever was easiest. For tonight, she switched between soprano and alto, with the song. When the first number was finished, she switched to the next carol and prepared to join in with the others.
The small choir began the next song.
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.
Oh, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.
The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower.
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Savior.
Oh, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.
Several people had stopped to listen to the music that was pouring through the surrounding promenade courts. Flavia and her daughter, Herodia, were making their way toward Orchids & Jazz with a delivery of two new orchids for the owner, and they stopped outside the jazz club, listening.
After a moment, 14-year-old Herodia said, "Mama, I wish we could get them to sing outside our stores."
Mrs. Smith nodded, "I agree. We'll ask when they finish singing. The music is beautiful."
Alora had done some research to carefully choose her suggestion to the little group. She rather liked the next message, and it was a happy little tune. Her voice, a rich alto, rang out with the others:
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay 'round about,
Deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night,
Though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel.
"Hither, page, and stand by me.
If thou know'st it, telling.
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence,
Underneath the mountain,
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."
"Bring me flesh and bring me wine.
Bring me pine logs hither.
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went,
Forth they went together,
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather.
"Sire, the night is darker now,
And the wind blows stronger.
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, my good page,
Tread thou in them boldly.
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."
In his master's steps he trod,
Where the snow lay dented.
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
Wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing.
Maiek had not expected to be included in the invitation, but when it had arrived he found himself all but ordered to not only attend but to also perform. Before he'd known what hit him he had found himself beside the Romulan Doctor s'Siedhri, Bahtain in hand. He was resplendent in a set of robes he'd designed himself. It seemed that no-one knew that Romulan instruments suited this sort of music quite well. Maiek delighted in the ability to surprise those around him, though he expressed nothing, his focus entirely on the stringed instrument in his hand. Makila and another male of the diplomatic delegation lent their voices to the carol. They'd been given a human carol, and the words weren't difficult...perhaps next time they'd be able to perform in their native tongue.
Belle, qui tiens ma vie
Captive dans tes yeux,
Qui m'as l'ame ravie
D'un souris gracieux,
Viens tot me secourir
Ou me faudra mourir.
Viens tot me secourir
Ou me faudra mourir.
Kellian Michaels pulled his bow across the strings of his cello and gently lifted it away. He glanced at Maiek s'Ethien to coordinate their time. Then he brought his bow back down for the same note, to begin the next verse. He hadn't expected this particular song to be part of the repertoire; it was more of a pavane dance, but it fit in with the medieval period and passed the mood test.
Pourquoi fuis tu, mignarde,
Si je suis pres de toi
Quand tes yeux je regarde
Je me perds dedans moi,
Car tes perfections
Changent mes actions.
Car tes perfections
Changent mes actions.
Tes beautes et ta grace
Et tes divins propos
Ont echauffe la glace
Qui me gelait les os,
Et ont rempli mon coeur
D'une amoureuse ardeur.
Et ont rempli mon coeur
D'une amoureuse ardeur.
Mon ame voulait etre
Libre de passion,
Mais l'amour s'est fait maitre
De mes affections.
The next song was an old Irish carol, although it was thought the words were originally in English.
Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending his beloved son
With Mary holy we should pray,
To God with love this Christmas Day
In Bethlehem upon that morn,
There was a blessed Messiah born.
The night before that happy tide
The noble Virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town
But mark right well what came to pass
From every door repelled, alas,
As was foretold, their refuge all
Was but a humble ox's stall.
Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
To whom God's angel did appear
,
Which put the shepherds in great fear
.
Arise and go, the angels said
,
To Bethlehem, be not afraid.
For there you'll find, this happy morn
,
A princely babe, sweet Jesus, born
With thankful heart and joyful mind
The shepherds went the babe to find
And as God's angel had foretold
,
They did our Saviour Christ behold
Within a manger he was laid
,
And by his side a virgin maid
Attending on the Lord of Life
Who came on earth to end all strife.
There were three wise men from afar
Directed by a glorious star
And on they wandered night and day
Until they came where Jesus lay
And when they came unto that place
Where our beloved Messiah lay
They humbly cast them at his feet
With gifts of gold and incense sweet.
The choir paused and then began the last song, which was sung as a round. It was not a Christmas carol, but they would end every performance with it.
Shalom chaverim, shalom chaverim.
Shalom! Shalom!
Le hit raot, le hit raot.
Shalom! Shalom!
What a goodly thing
If the children of the world
Could dwell together
In peace.
"That was beautifully done, all of you!" Mary Elizabeth said to the singers as they prepared to head to Baby Invasion. Medieval music at a goth baby store. It sounded odd, but Mary Elizabeth couldn't argue with the store owners' logic. "We don't like to be stereotyped," Trudi Spooner had told her. "We stand for rebelling against everything, even ourselves," her partner, Livia Fobbs, had added, "so bring on the caroling!"
Flavia and her daughter made their way to the side of the woman who seemed to be in charge. "Excuse me," the florist said. "My daughter and I very much enjoyed your music and wondered whether you might come to carol outside our business, Scent of Love on Deck 635. We'd love to have you there, and I know customers would love to hear these beautiful traditional carols, or others you might have practiced."
"If you know 'Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains', that would be dog soup!" Herodia added.
Her mother frowned and said, "Slang, Herodia," before looking expectantly at the choir director.
"A request?" Mary Elizabeth beamed. "I'll ask the others if they would mind making another stop. Your deck is just above the consulate deck, where we'll be singing later, so it's on our way. I don't know that song, but let me see if any of the others do. If they don't know it, I have a karaoke app on my comm, so if you wouldn't mind singing it, we could at least provide some instrumental back-up."
"Hey!" Mary Elizabeth called out to the musicians. "We've had a request to make an additional stop, and we have a song request. Do any of you know 'Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains?'"
Kellian shook his head. "It's new to me, but if I hear it I can work out a bass line."
"A moment and I can send the music to your PADD. I found the musical database here to be quite extensive." Maiek said as his long fingers flew over the keys. Truthfully he looked forward to exploring it in much more depth, more than a few songs he'd added to his list to learn to play. A few moments later the actual musical notations appeared on the PADD he held.
"Thanks!" Kellian said as the music displayed on his PADD. He tried a few notes on his cello and raised his eyebrows. "Sounds nice. I think we can play this."
Tessa was just enjoying being part of the crowd and singing. She spotted the Chief Diplomat and walked over to her. "Hi."
Kiara smiled. "Hello. Enjoying yourself?"
Tessa nodded. "Not much opportunity to sing Christmas carols on Vulcan."
Kiara chuckled. "I imagine not. It's been a while for me, and I quite enjoy that it's not freezing cold."
With the new song now showing on each musician's PADD, the group of carolers got into the turbolift and headed to Baby Invasion. Mary Elizabeth winced as the instrumental part of "Tom Sawyer" by Rush blared from the shop's speakers. She entered the shop and found Trudi Spooner, wearing a dress that Bellatrix LeStrange might have admired. Trudi grinned at her.
"You're here? Oh, awesome! Let me turn the music off!" She ducked into a back room, and the sounds of hard rock died away. Then she came back to the cash register and spoke into the shop's PA system.
"Attention, everyone! We have a special treat for you tonight! In commemoration of a baby born on Earth about 2400 years ago, we have The Hangman's Noose Christmas Choir! Let 'er rip, guys!"
In honor of this shop's death-metal baby theme, Mary Elizabeth had picked a particular old carol for it.
Down in yon forest be a hall,
Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
'Tis coverlidded over with purple and pall.
Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!
Oh in that hall is a pallet bed.
Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
'Tis stained with blood like cardinal red.
Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!
And at that pallet is a stone
Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
On which the Virgin did atone.
Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!
Under that Hall is a gushing flood:
Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
From Christ's own side 'tis water and blood.
Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!
Beside that bed a shrub tree grows,
Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
Since He was born hit blooms and blows.
Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!
Oh, on that bed a young Squire sleeps,
Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
His wounds are sick, and see, he weeps.
Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!
Oh hail yon Hall were none can sin,
Sing May, Queen May, sing Mary!
For 'tis gold without and silver within,
Sing all good men for the new-born Baby!
Next, the group sang "What Child Is This?", all five verses of "We Three Kings," "The Little Drummer Boy," and "The Cherry Tree Carol," followed by the Peace Round.
"So Joseph got ticked off with Mary's pregnancy cravings and told her to tell Jesus's father to pick her some freakin' fruit?" Trudi burst out laughing. "Okay, I like that. That's totally human. Thanks for the music, you all! Come back next year!"
"Okay, down to Deck 635 and Scents of Love," Mary Elizabeth said to the choir. They hustled themselves, their music stands, and instruments into a couple of turbolifts and descended 25 decks. Soon, they were arranged in a semi-circle in front of Scents of Love and began to sing.
Far, far away on Judea’s plains,
Shepherds of old heard the joyous strains:
Glory to God,
Glory to God,
Glory to God in the highest;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men!
Sweet are these strains of redeeming love,
Message of mercy from heav’n above:
Glory to God,
Glory to God,
Glory to God in the highest;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men!
Lord, with the angels we too would rejoice;
Help us to sing with the heart and voice:
Glory to God,
Glory to God,
Glory to God in the highest;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men!
Hasten the time when, from ev’ry clime,
Men shall unite in the strains sublime:
Glory to God,
Glory to God,
Glory to God in the highest;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men;
Peace on earth, goodwill to men!
Herodia sighed with happiness. "That says it all, doesn't it, Mum?"
Her mother put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her. "It really does."
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