A Christmas Feast
Helen Campo flute
Peter Reit horn
Annabelle Hoffman cello
Alyssa Reit harp
Krystof Witek violin
A CHRISTMAS FEAST from Alyssa Reit celebrates the rich tradition of Christmas carols across multiple cultures and centuries. The album features 20 instrumental chamber arrangements of carols performed on harp by Ms. Reit along with violin, flute, French horn, and cello. She includes familiar classics like O Come, O Come Emmanuel and Ding Dong Merrily on High, as well as 17th-century English songs such as Blessed Be That Maid Marie and I Saw Three Ships, the Appalachian carol Star of The East, the 15th-century French Noel Nouvolet, and many more. Aptly named, A CHRISTMAS FEAST serves a bountiful collection of joyful carols from throughout the ages.
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Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Composer | Performer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Ding Dong Merrily on High | Jean Tabourot arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Helen Campo, flute; Peter Reit, French horn; Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 2:03 |
| 02 | Patapan | Bernard de La Monnoye arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 2:06 |
| 03 | Lullay My Liking | Gustav Holst arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Helen Campo, flute; Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 3:12 |
| 04 | Angels and Shepherds | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Helen Campo, flute; Peter Reit, French horn; Krystof Witek, violin; Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 1:55 |
| 05 | Rise Up Shepherd and Follow | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Peter Reit, French horn; Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 3:31 |
| 06 | Noel Provencal | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Helen Campo, flute; Peter Reit, French horn; Alyssa Reit, harp | 2:06 |
| 07 | Still, Still, Still | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Krystof Witek, violin; Alyssa Reit, harp | 1:48 |
| 08 | Ihr Kinderlein Kommet | Franz Xavier Luft arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Krystof Witek, violin; Alyssa Reit, harp | 2:33 |
| 09 | Carol of the Russian Children | Harvey B. Gaul arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Helen Campo, flute; Peter Reit, French horn; Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 2:57 |
| 10 | I Saw Three Ships | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Peter Reit, French horn; Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 1:37 |
| 11 | Appalachian Carol | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Krystof Witek, violin; Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 3:34 |
| 12 | What Child Is This? | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Alyssa Reit, harp | 2:21 |
| 13 | Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle | St. Alphonsus Liguori arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Peter Reit, French horn; Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 2:11 |
| 14 | Star of the East | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 4:39 |
| 15 | O Come, O Come Emmanuel | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Helen Campo, flute; Peter Reit, French horn; Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 3:14 |
| 16 | Noel Nouvolet | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Helen Campo, flute; Alyssa Reit, harp | 3:37 |
| 17 | A Babe Is Born, All of a Maid | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Peter Reit, French horn; Alyssa Reit, harp | 3:11 |
| 18 | Tecum Principium | Camille Saint-Saens arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Helen Campo, flute; Peter Reit, French horn; Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 4:26 |
| 19 | Blessed Be That Maid Marie | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Helen Campo, flute; Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 2:57 |
| 20 | People, Look East | arr. Alyssa Reit, ASCAP | Helen Campo, flute; Peter Reit, French horn; Krystof Witek, violin; Annabelle Hoffman, cello; Alyssa Reit, harp | 2:07 |
Ding Dong Merrily on High; Angels and Shepherds; Still, Still, Still; Ihr Kinderlein Kommet; Carol of the Russian Children; Appalachian Carol; What Child Is This?; O Come, O Come Emanuel; Tecum Principium; Blessed Be That Maid Marie; People, Look East
Recorded October 2001 at Shorefire Studio in Long Branch NJ
Mixing and Mastering Jankland Recording
Engineer Steve Jankowski
Assistant Engineer Joe DeMaio
Patapan; Lullay My Liking; Rise Up Shepherd and Follow; Noel Provencal; I Saw Three Ships; Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle; Star of the East; Noel Nouvolet; A Babe Is Born, All of a Maid
Recorded September 2001 at Jankland Recording in Brick NJ
Mixing and Mastering Jankland Recording
Engineer Steve Jankowski
Executive Producer Bob Lord
A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
A&R Jeff LeRoy
VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
Production Manager Martina Watzková
Production Assistant Adam Lysák
VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Chelsea Kornago
Artist Information
Alyssa Reit
Alyssa Reit is an independent composer, arranger, performer, teacher, and storyteller. As a harpist, she has performed with institutions ranging from the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Metropolitan Opera, to contemporary music groups and Irish bands. She has given concerts with John Cage, toured Europe with the legendary Martha Clarke, and traveled the United States playing with the world famous vocal group, Anonymous 4. Her main body of work has been creating theatrical-musical settings of myths, classic stories, and fairy tales; these have been performed at such venues as the Caramoor Center for the Arts, the NYU Steinhardt’s storytelling series, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, to critical acclaim.
Helen Campo
The South China Morning Post declared that flutist Helen Campo “had such dazzlingly beautiful tone, that she could only be called extraordinary… she displayed stunning lucidity, colour, and figuration.” Leonard Bernstein wrote, “Miss Campo plays the flute the way I wish I could sing.” Since her debut at the age of 14, Campo has made more than 1000 solo appearances, from concertos with the Philadelphia Orchestra to solo performances with orchestras at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center, to guest television appearances with the Muppets, and remains the youngest flutist ever to win The Concert Artists Guild International Competition. As an orchestral player, Campo also won the position of Acting Associate Principal Flutist with the Houston Symphony, has performed as Assistant Principal with the Baltimore Symphony and has been over many years a substitute with the NYC Ballet, NYC Opera, and NY Philharmonic, having performed in the Principal Flute, Second Flute, and Piccolo positions with all three organizations. In addition, she has recorded many classics of the symphonic repertoire with the New York Philharmonic, including The Firebird, Daphnis and Chloe, and Song of the Nightingale.
Peter Reit
Peter Reit plays principal horn with the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra. He recently retired from the principal horn positions held for thirty years with the Westchester Philharmonic and Scandia Symphony Orchestras. Reit has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Ensemble, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the American Ballet Theater, and the New York City Opera and Ballet Orchestras. Reit has toured worldwide with the American Symphony and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestras. He performs in a duo with his wife, harpist Alyssa Reit, and can be heard on their recording, Private Collection. He plays regularly with the Greenwich Chamber Players and the Purchase Faculty Brass. Reit is featured on CDs of all musical genres, and has been heard on television, radio, and movie soundtracks. His jazz experience includes performing as a member of the Mel Lewis Big Band at the Village Vanguard, plus recordings and worldwide tours with the Bob Belden Ensemble. He has played in the orchestras for many Broadway shows, but most of his career was at “The Phantom of the Opera” where he played for 32 years. Reit is on the horn faculty at SUNY Purchase College and Vassar College.
Annabelle Hoffman
Annabelle Hoffman has toured with the NY Philharmonic, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Sinfonietta Salzburg, and the American Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in the Mostly Mozart Festival, Marlboro Festival, and Aspen Festival. On Broadway, Hoffman has performed in the pit orchestras of Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Carousel, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, Aladdin, War Paint, Sunset Boulevard, The Visit, and A Grand Night for Singing. In addition to performing, Hoffman also teaches and coaches chamber music. She has been on the faculty of The Calhoun School, the 92nd Street Y, Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, and The Berkshire School of Music.
Krystof Witek
Krystof Witek has performed with the MET orchestra since 2009. He is a member of the Lion King orchestra on Broadway and has appeared as soloist and concertmaster of the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra in Connecticut. Born in Poland, he came to study at The Juilliard School with Joseph Fuchs, where he received his Bachelor, Master and Doctoral Degrees. Witek has appeared in solo and chamber music concerts in Europe, Canada, Japan, and the United States. He has also performed with the New York City Ballet, New York City Opera, New York Chamber Symphony, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and the New York Pops. Witek and his wife Tanya Witek (NYC Ballet Orchestra flutist) are co-founders of BridgeMusik, a nonprofit community organization based in the Lower Hudson Valley NY, which creates performance opportunities for gifted young students from the tri-state area.
Notes
The Christmas carol tradition brings us some of the most uplifting music ever written, from a tremendous wealth of sources all over the world.
Blessed Be That Maid Marie and I Saw Three Ships were first published in 17th century England. The lyrics for What Child Is This were written by William Chatterton Dix in the 19th century, but the tune, Greensleeves, is much older, as is the melody for A Babe Is Born All of a Maid.
Star of the East became popular in Appalachia as a shape note song. The 19th century Baptist song leader William Walker — nicknamed “Singin’ Billy”— published one of the earliest arrangements in his collection Southern Harmony, and is often credited as the composer, but some sources claim it is a much earlier English import. This setting joins it with a Celtic tune.
The French tradition gives us the lovely modal pieces Noel Nouvolet (15th century) and Noel Provençal. Ding Dong Merrily on High first appeared in a collection of secular dance tunes, compiled or written by the 16th century French cleric Jean Tabourot. Patapan was written by Bernard de La Monnoye, an 18th century lawyer and poet from Dijon, who published it as part of a collection of 13 carols. This arrangement of the rousing People Look East — a Besançon carol originally titled Shepherds, Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep — was partly inspired by the text written by the 20th century British author Eleanor Farjeon, which opens:
People look east, the time is near
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table.
People look east, and sing today!
Love, the guest is on the way.
Besides the famous Germanic carols, there are many that are lesser known, yet equally as beautiful. We present Ihr Kinderlein Kommet (The Children Come), which was composed by Franz Xavier Luft as a setting for the poem written by the 18th century Catholic priest Christoph von Schmid. Still, Still, Still (Quiet, Quiet, Quiet), is an Austrian folk melody from the district of Salzburg.
Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle (You Came Down from the Stars) is from Italy, written by St. Alphonse’s Liguori, a Neapolitan priest. Angels and Shepherds is from Bohemia. O Come, O Come Emmanuel is found as a 9th century plainchant; some sources claim it to be an ancient Hebrew melody.
The haunting Appalchian Carol is also known as I Wonder as I Wander. Though often considered anonymous, authorship is claimed by John Jacob Niles, who learned the original opening lines of melody from a beggar girl named Annie Morgan. Rise Up Shepherd and Follow is a spiritual, passed on for several generations as part of oral tradition, only finding its way into print in 1902. The Carol of the Russian Children, which richly evokes the atmosphere of snowy Russia, was nevertheless written by the American church organist Harvey B. Gaul.
Amongst the carols written by famous composers, one of the most unusual is by Gustav Holst — Lullay My Liking. Tecum Principium (translated as “With Thee is the beginning”), though not officially a carol, is from Camille Saint-Saens’ Christmas Oratorio, and an apt inclusion.
We wish to thank the many people who helped make this recording possible by giving of their time, energy, support, and love all along the way. Special thanks to our parents Robert, Betsy, Ernie, and Abby. Steve, Annabelle, Helen, and Krystof — what a delight and a privilege to work with you. To all of our teachers who shared their gifts with us, and all our family and friends who encouraged and inspired us, we’re very grateful. Lastly, our deepest thanks to the composers who wrote these beautiful melodies so many years ago.
— Alyssa and Peter Reit
