God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Anonymous (arr. Duarte)

Описание: Christmas Carols and Songs for Guitar - Steven Saulls, Classical Guitarist

About the composer and the music…

"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" is a traditional English Christmas carol of unknown authorship. The phrase "God rest ye merry" is an archaic English expression meaning "may God grant you peace and happiness". The song's central message is that people should not be dismayed, because Jesus Christ, the Savior, was born on Christmas Day to save humanity from "Satan's power".

The carol's precise origins are unknown, but it was popular in Victorian England and likely dates back to at least the 16th century.

An anonymous manuscript from the 1650s contains an early version of the carol. The earliest known printed edition is a broadsheet from around 1760. The carol was included in the 1833 publication "Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern", compiled by William Sandys, which helped popularize it.

The carol recounts the Christmas story, including the angel's announcement to the shepherds:

First verse: "God rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay / For Jesus Christ, our Savior, was born upon this day".

Chorus: "O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy / O tidings of comfort and joy".

The word "merry" in the title modifies "God rest ye," not "gentlemen." It is a wish for the recipients to be granted peace and happiness from God. The placement of the comma in "God rest ye merry, gentlemen" has been debated, though "God rest ye merry" as a self-contained phrase is the traditional interpretation.

About the performer...

Steven began studying the guitar at age nine and has attended some of the finest music schools in the world including the Berklee College of Music (Boston), and the Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria). He holds both a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Washington University (1980) and a Master of Music degree from the University of Arizona (1982).

Over the past 40 years, Steven has performed hundreds of concerts throughout the United States, Central & South America and Europe. His recordings 'Modern Music for the Classical Guitar', ‘Espressivo’, and ‘Classical Guitarist Steven Saulls Performing Works by J.S. Bach, Manuel Ponce, and Federico Moreno Torroba’ have received wide acclaim both nationally and internationally. In addition to solo concerts, he has performed over 200 chamber works including guitar concerti (with orchestra) by Vivaldi, Ponce and Rodrigo.

About the recording...

Recorded at The Steven Saulls Guitar Studio, Sahuarita, Arizona/Guitar handcrafted by Martin Blackwell.

Copyright© 2023 Steven Saulls, Sahuarita, Arizona