Ella Fitzgerald’s Christmas

~ Release by Ella Fitzgerald (see all versions of this release, 9 available)

Annotation

Notes

Capitol tried to mimick Granz' bald career management by releasing a second Christmas release (after Verve's "Wishes You a Swinging Christmas"). This is also Fitzgerald second release for them. Pretty much same recipe, same negative gut reaction at sight, and same conclusion (though with a switch of style at that time in her career): it's still Ella. But wait, it's still Christmas songs!

Note it has since been bundled together in one disc with another Capitol felony (Brighten the Corner).
There is some doubts whether the original ST 2805 had all the tracks and in what order. If you own it, please update the infos! Just like the other, no details are available about the names of the orchestra and choir.

According to the Discogs release just added, ST 2805 did have all of the tracks, and in the same order as represented here.

Tracklist

1▼CD
#TitleLength
1O Holy Night
vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
cover recording of:
O Holy Night
lyricist:
John Sullivan Dwight (in 1855)
composer:
Adolphe Adam (in 1847)
translated version of:
Cantique de Noël “Minuit chrétiens” (French original of “O Holy Night”)
1:48
2It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
cover recording of:
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (carol version)
lyricist:
Edmund Sears
composer:
Richard Storrs Willis
part of:
The New English Hymnal (number: 29)
is based on:
CAROL (hymn tune)
is based on:
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (poem)
3:20
3Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
cover recording of:
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Christmas carol)
additional lyricist:
George Whitefield (in 1753)
lyricist:
Charles Wesley (in 1739)
additional composer:
William H. Cummings (in 1855)
composer:
Felix Mendelssohn (in 1840)
part of:
The New English Hymnal (number: 26)
1:48
4Away in the Manger
vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
cover recording of:
Away in a Manger (aka “Cradle Song” composed by William J. Kirkpatrick)
additional lyricist:
Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (in 1892)
lyricist:
[anonymous]
composer:
William James Kirkpatrick (in 1895)
part of:
Roud Folk Song Index (number: 25304)
is based on:
Sweet Afton (set to music by Jonathan E. Spilman, 1837)
translated version of:
Y Preseb
2:12
5Joy to the World
vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
cover recording of:
Joy to the World (Christmas carol)
lyricist:
Isaac Watts
additional composer:
Lowell Mason (in 1839)
composer:
George Frideric Handel
1:40
6The First Noel
vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
cover recording of:
The First Noël
publisher:
William B. Sandys (in 1823, in 1833)
additional lyricist:
Davies Gilbert (in 1823)
lyricist and composer:
[traditional]
additional arranger:
Sir John Stainer (in 1871)
arranger:
Davies Gilbert (in 1823)
part of:
The New English Hymnal (number: 36)
arrangement of:
The First Nowell
version of:
The First Nowell
part of:
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944 film)
1:49
7Silent Night
vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
cover recording of:
Silent Night (Christmas carol, English translation)
lyricist:
Josef Mohr (in 1816)
composer:
Franz Xaver Gruber (in 1818)
translator:
John Freeman Young (in 1859)
part of:
Roud Folk Song Index (number: 27088)
translated version of:
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht
2:50
8O Come All Ye Faithful
vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
cover recording of:
O Come, All Ye Faithful (English version of Latin “Adeste fideles”)
lyricist and composer:
John Francis Wade (from 1740 until 1743)
translator:
Frederick Oakeley (in 1841)
arrangement of:
O Come, All Ye Faithful
translated version of:
Adeste fideles (original latin version)
2:44
9Sleep, My Little Lord Jesus
vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
2:17
10Angels We Have Heard on High
vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
cover recording of:
Angels We Have Heard on High
lyricist:
[unknown]
composer:
[traditional]
translator:
James Chadwick (in 1862)
version of:
Les Anges dans nos campagnes
1:45
11O Little Town of Bethlehem
vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
cover recording of:
O Little Town of Bethlehem (traditional carol with the tune “St. Louis”, as commonly sung in the U.S.)
lyricist:
Phillips Brooks (in 1868)
composer:
Lewis Henry Redner (in 1868)
is based on:
St. Louis (hymn tune)
2:10
12We Three Kings
vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
cover recording of:
We Three Kings
lyricist and composer:
John Henry Hopkins, Jr.
part of:
Roud Folk Song Index (number: 24751)
2:07
13God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
lead vocals:
Ella Fitzgerald
conductor:
Ralph Carmichael
arranger:
Ralph Carmichael
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
Capitol Records, Inc.
cover recording of:
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (traditional, no arrangement credits here)
lyricist and composer:
[traditional]
part of:
Roud Folk Song Index (number: 394)
1:26