Christmas Hymns and Carols Volume II

I was thrilled to find this CD available! This old mid-century choral group, The Robert Shaw Chorale, was my favorite Christmas music, and to find it now on CD makes the season wonderful for me! I'm so glad the original was re-issued in CD form.

Hats off once again to Real Gone Music, who has heeded the requests of Robert Shaw fans, following up their 2016 release of Shaw’s stereo “Christmas Hymns and Carols, Vol I” of 1957 (possibly THE greatest Christmas album ever made) with his 1952 recording, “Christmas Hymns and Carols, Vol II,” here produced in its entirety and in the original song sequence. 26 hymns and carols are contained in 8 “medley” tracks.“The 1952 Choral Christmas Classic CD Debut!” screams the promo sticker on the shrink wrap. Well, not really. This album - along with CH&CVI and Shaw’s 1963 recordings of Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols,” “Festival Te Deum” and “Rejoice in the Lamb” - were released on CD back in 1994 as a 2-CD set through the BMG Classical Music Service record club (titled “Christmas with the Robert Shaw Chorale,” that set is still available through ArchivMusik). This release IS, however, the first stand-alone CD issue of this album, and we must thank RGM for the same.Sound on the CD is very representative of the master tapes, with the voices quite forward and vocal lines very clearly deliniated. This means that the sound is less warm than the sound of the above-mentioned CD set, as the decision was made in 1994 to “warm up” the sound of the mono tracks to more closely resemble the sound stage of the stereo recordings from 1957 (not through fake stereo, but via some artful phasing of the identical mono tracks eminating from each stereo speaker). If you have been hanging onto your LP of this album for the past 65 years, you will know the sound of this recording and appreciate the authenticity of the same. As this is a stereo CD, the sound is presented as double mono, with the same sound coming out of both speakers. It should be noted that there is some upper-range distortion in some of the tracks that exists in the master tapes (said distortion was better mitigated in the 1994 release cited above). Perhaps the best way to describe it is that the sound here flirts with distorting, rather than saying it is overtly distorted. In any case, it is not enough to put anyone off purchasing this album.Kudos to RGM for including the cover art for both the 78 issue and LP reissues of the album in the packaging, along with the liner notes that were printed in the back cover of the LPs. Note that the 14 singers listed by name in the CD booklet are ONLY the soloists! As Shaw made clear to me in 1994, the Chorale for these sessions numbered 30+ singers (Shaw was constantly asked how he got such a great sound on this album “with only 14 singers,” and spent the rest of his life explaining that only the soloists were named). Kudos also to RGM for fixing a tape bobble on the word “light” in the first phrase of “Touro-louro-louro” that we missed in our 1994 issue.The music on the discs includes carols from around the world, here expertly sung “a cappella” in English, German, French, Spanish and Latin.I highly recommend this album to one and all. It makes a great companion to Vol I...buy them both if you currently have neither.5 Stars.

Growing up I remember my parents had this record album and we played it on the record player constantly at Christmas time.. so glad to find it in the cd.... brings back so many memories.. Even though things are not the same unfortunately..

I recently ordered this fine Christmas set. Magnificent choral blend in 1952 when this was recorded...magnificent choral blend in 2017! Many thanks to Real Gone Music for re-issuing this as well as the first volume of The Robert Shaw Chorale's Christmas tracks. It would be wonderful if other RCA Victor Shaw albums were issued on CD. There is a fine 10" LP in the RCA vaults entitled "Hymns of Thanksgiving" that is very difficult to locate. Hopefully, Real Gone Music will make note of this and consider leasing this fine collection.

I enjoyed the traditional type of choral performance on this recording, but I must admit I thought some of the carols were very unfamiliar and a little boring to listen to. Perhaps that is just me. I also found it somewhat difficult to understand the words -- possibly due to the age of the recording. The sound is good enough, but because it was recorded in the '50s and in mono it doesn't sound as great as possibly it could.

Ordered for a specific piece of music, it had that and more. The singing is as expected from the Robert Shaw Chorale, expertly and enthusiastically done. A fine collection of Christmas carols, some of them not often heard. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in this music!

This is a great release from Real Gone Music! I actually like it more than Volume I from 2016. The sound quality is top notch and even though some of the songs are more obscure, the medleys are sublime. If you love great choral vocal groups then this is a must for your collection.

My parents had this, although in the form of 45 rpm discs. It was, along with the Nutcracker Suite, the soundtrack of all my childhood Christmas memories. How delightful to have this CD to remind me of those younger days!

Exact replica of the album I grew up with, with different cover art. Good recording/CD. So nice to hear these beautiful ‘a capella’ arrangements without crackles and scratches!! I’ll be buying the other in this series.

Finally this album was released in its entirety with all the songs in the proper order. My Father taught many of these carols to our local church choir - and in our home the albums were played so many times it's a wonder we didn't completely wear out the vinyl discs. When you consider what technology was available in the late 1950's the sound on this album (and volume 1) is amazing. It was my great honor and thrill to meet Robert Shaw in person in the late 1990's in Toronto, at which time I shook his hand and thanked him specifically for these magical Christmas recordings. May these carols and folk tunes live on in perpetuity. Too much music these days is "sampled" "digitized" or "lip synced". Give your ears a treat and listen to REAL LIVE SINGERS blending perfectly in the most beautiful harmonies - and make this "old" album your "new" Christmas tradition. JOYEUX NOEL!!!

Déception ! en raison de l'année .. de l'enregistrements 1952 ?