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Oh, Norman, not again!  Why not let others enjoy themselves the way they want?

You don't have to attend and you don't have to like it.  But others want to go and want to participate.

If you carry on like this, Norman, I swear I will be your very last fan on here.........[:P]

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20th December, Service of nine lessons and carols 10.30 am,  Old Chapel, avenue de Carcassonne, Homps.  I shall be there singing, carols and some readings in both French and English. Both and English and French attend.

France may be supposed to be a secular society, but there are plenty of French church services throughout the year.  It is not actually forbidden to hold church services, even if a couple of posters on here think they should be banned (by my reading of their posts at least).

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Goodness Me Hakunamatata!  And I thought you were a gentle soul!  [8-)]

Continuing with the thread though, I don't think I'm a Christian (although I have a lot of respect for Christ) and I don't think I'm British (though I definitely appreciate their eccentricities - and they've had the odd good poet and scientist)...but I quite like carol services.  So tell me, Norman, why do you "thank God for a secular society"?[:D]

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[quote user="hakunamatata"]"British Habits" ???? Since when was choral singing a British habit! Gosh dont the weirdos come out of this forum occassionally, I was mistaken when I thought it was a forum of intelligent folk - still I suppose there is always one and you Norman H seem to be IT[/quote]

Choral singing has been a very english tradition since the 1600s - I thought this was a forum of intelligent folk... Do I need to give you a history lesson?

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[quote user="hakunamatata"]Norman, where ignorance is bliss, tis folly to be wise! You are talking a load of spherical objects[/quote]

I said two things:

"Carols are not the same thing as Choral singing, and carol concerts and services are a particularly British habit."

1)  Carols are not the same thing as Choral singing.

They started out as dances, and even today are not necessarily Choral. They can be sung by an individual or played by a band or orchestra.

For a very simplified account which you might manage to understand

http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/carols_history.shtml

2) "carol concerts and services are a particularly British habit"

Although many of the tunes used in British carols are of French origin (often dances), and there were many 'Noels' in the 17th and 18th century  there has been no tradition of carol singing  in France since the revolution(and certainly no 'Nine lessons and Carols, which was invented at King's College Cambridge in,1918, and so can be said to be ' particularly British')

What exists in the Catholic tradition is the 'Messe de Minuit' on Christmas Eve.

A delightful example (using some of the old Noels) is by Charpentier

http://www.deezer.com/listen-764696

and subsequent tracks

I don't think that any of that is spherical[:)]

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No wonder I love lurking on the Forum.

I am fond of early Baroque music and I am acquainted with some of Charpentier's works, of course.  But, you know, I knew nothing about the man himself.

Now, I shall have hours of pleasure finding out more about him.  Life just gets better and better......[:D]

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Thanks for that, Norman.  Not only that, the site reminded me of William Christie's Les Arts Florissants (his name is on your link).

There, I was going to clean the landing and stairs but listening to early Baroque is a great deal more fun!

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