Why do people keep buying The Glorious Sound of Christmas, recorded in 1962, when there's such a profusion of other holiday albums out there? Because it quite simply remains one of the very best.
There are no bonus tracks here to augment the original LP; what we get are 14 well-known carols, lasting about 45 minutes in total.
But it's 45 minutes of orchestral and vocal perfection.
In no way did conductor Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra phone this one in; the fabled "Philadelphia Sound" was burnished to full sheen for this recording, and the expert, rather Disneyesque arrangements by Arthur Harris give every player in the orchestra something to do.
Some of the carols are instrumentally performed, but others feature the Temple University Concert Choir, delivering what must have been the performance of a lifetime for many of its members.
You're likely to find that your college choir didn't sound anything like this; the big octave leap for the sopranos in "O Holy Night" that proves the undoing of so many choruses here becomes just one more glittering detail.
Credit is also due to remix and remastering engineers Laura Harth and John Johnson, who have accomplished the rare feat of not losing a step as top-quality LP sonics are transferred to compact disc.
Unsure about what to buy for a CD of Christmas favorites? You can't go wrong with The Glorious Sound of Christmas.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O Little Town of BethlehemPhillip Brooks, Henry Walford Davies, Lewis Redner | Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 13 MB |
| 2 | Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 03:15 | 7 MB | 15 MB |
| 3 | Joy to the World | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 01:55 | 4 MB | 9 MB |
| 4 | O Holy Night (Cantique de Noël) | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 02:50 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 5 | O Come, O Come, Emanuel | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 6 | God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 13 MB |
| 7 | Ave Maria | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 04:46 | 10 MB | 20 MB |
| 8 | O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles) | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 03:20 | 7 MB | 15 MB |
| 9 | The First Noël | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 10 | Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 01:50 | 4 MB | 8 MB |
| 11 | O Sanctissima (O du fröhliche) | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 12 | The Worship of God | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 13 | O Come, Little Children | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 01:53 | 4 MB | 8 MB |
| 14 | Silent Night, Holy Night | Eugene Ormandy | Play | 03:18 | 7 MB | 14 MB |
| 43 mins | 100 MB | |||||
| 43 mins | 199 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adolphe Adam | Composer |
| 2 | Ludwig van Beethoven | Composer |
| 3 | Phillip Brooks | Composer |
| 4 | John Sullivan Dwight | Composer |
| 5 | Philip Formica | Cover Design |
| 6 | Thomas Frost | Producer |
| 7 | Thomas & Richard Frost | Producer |
| 8 | Franz Gruber | Composer |
| 9 | Arthur Harris | Arranger |
| 10 | Laura Heath | Remixing |
| 11 | John "Woog" Johnson | Engineer |
| 12 | John A. Johnson | Engineer, Remixing |
| 13 | Lowell Mason | Composer |
| 14 | Felix Mendelssohn | Composer |
| 15 | Joseph Mohr | Composer |
| 16 | John Mason Neale | Composer |
| 17 | Frederick Oakeley | Composer |
| 18 | Eugene Ormandy | Conductor, Primary Artist |
| 19 | Robert Page | Director |
| 20 | Robert E. Page | Choir Director |
| 21 | Philadelphia Orchestra | Ensemble, Orchestra, Primary Artist |
| 22 | Lewis Redner | Composer |
| 23 | Franz Schubert | Composer |
| 24 | Temple University Choirs | Choir/Chorus |
| 25 | Temple University Concert Choir | Performer, Primary Artist |
| 26 | Traditional | Composer |
| 27 | John Francis Wade | Composer |
| 28 | Isaac Watts | Composer |
| 29 | Charles Wesley | Composer |
Eugene Ormandy
1995 - 9 tracks
Mozart - Piano Concertos Nos. 12, 15, 17, 20, 24; Concertos For 2 And 3 Piano Box 2 CD 3 - George Szell, Eugene Ormandy
1994 - 6 tracks
Strauss - Tod Uund Verklarung; Sinfonia Domestica; Tanz Der Sieben Schleier - Eugene Ormandy, George Szell
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |