Christmas Day Big Sing Songs of Praise

It's Christmas morning, and we're here at the Royal Albert Hall

for our Songs Of Praise Christmas Day Big Sing.

Our superstar guest is singer-songwriter Chris de Burgh.

There's a special performance by our Junior School Choir of the Year.

And a festive favourite, Walking In The Air.

I'm sure I recognise that bloke from somewhere.

And of course, a whole host of much-loved carols.

APPLAUSE

Hello, and a very merry Christmas to you.

-Are you ready to sing, ladies and gentlemen?

-ALL: Yes!

Fantastic.

Our first carol celebrates what Christmas is really all about -

that glorious event some 2,000 years ago,

the birth of the baby Jesus.

It's Joy To The World.

APPLAUSE

Well, that was fabulous. What a glorious way to start.

You are in fine voice.

Now, our star guest has amassed well over 200 gold and platinum discs,

and performed a staggering 3,000 concerts all over the world.

Here's one more.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's Chris de Burgh.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-How are you?

-Fantastic!

I couldn't think of a better place to be

on Christmas Day than right here in the Albert Hall because,

you probably don't know this, but Prince Albert

and Queen Victoria were responsible for bringing

many of the Christmas traditions that we have today,

like Christmas trees and Christmas cards.

What do you feel about Christmas? Love it?

I love the tradition, yeah. And I think it's wonderful for people to come together.

And if I may just say, at Christmas time,

think of those people who are out there who are lonely

and do not have friends and family around them.

So maybe you could make a point and go and visit somebody today.

-What are you going to sing?

-A new song on my Footsteps 2 album,

called On A Christmas Night.

So I'd like you to imagine a little boy in bed,

fast asleep, and the snow starts falling, it's Christmas Eve,

his friend wakes him and says,

"Come outside, we'll play snowballs."

His friends are out there, playing snowballs,

they see the lights on the hill going to the church,

and they join a Christmas celebration at Midnight Mass.

Fantastic. Ladies and gentlemen,

singing On A Christmas Night, the one and only Chris de Burgh.

APPLAUSE

# I was awakened on a Christmas night

# Somebody shaking me and shining a light

# Wake up, the winter is here

# And snow is falling on the ground

# Out of the window 'Twas a magic sight

# And for a little boy It was a magic night

# My friends were playing outside

# And snow was tumbling on the ground

# And we saw a thousand candles in the night

# Moving to the church up on the hill

# When the people saw us They said, "Come inside"

# And the song that night They sing it still

# We are here to celebrate

# The birth of a child

# Who came to the world

# We are here to celebrate

# The life of a child

# Who came to the world

# We are here to celebrate

# The birth of a child

# Who came to the world

# We are here to celebrate

# The life of a child

# Who came to the world

# On this night

# We are here to celebrate

# The birth of a child

# Who came to the world

# We are here to celebrate

# The life of a child

# Who came to the world

# To the world

# We are here to celebrate

# The birth of a child

# Who came to the world

# We are here to celebrate

# The life of a child

# Who came to the world

# To the world

# His love

# I was awakened on a Christmas night. #

APPLAUSE

Chris de Burgh, everybody!

If you've children with you, I guess they opened their presents hours ago,

and I'm sure Father Christmas did what he does best.

Christmas presents were originally quite modest,

and included such things as cakes, fruit and nuts.

Try telling that to my children!

LAUGHTER

Well, our next carol mentions children and toys.

Malcolm Sargent wrote the words.

He was probably the best-known of the Proms conductors.

A great showman who, here in this hall, firmly established

the tradition of the conductor's humorous address

at the Last Night of the Proms.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's Zither Carol.

APPLAUSE

2011 has been a very exciting year for our next guests.

They entered the School Choir of the Year Competition

for the very first time, and in April at the Sheffield City Hall,

they were crowned Junior Champions, the first-ever Welsh choir to win.

APPLAUSE

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

in their debut performance here at the Royal Albert Hall,

singing Little Donkey, Little Jesus, Ysgol Pen Barras!

APPLAUSE

APPLAUSE

Llongyfarchiadau. Wnaethoch chi fwynhau hwnna?

-Do.

-Do, diolch, do.

It's taken me years

to be able to speak in my native tongue to a winner

in the School Choir of the Year Competition,

and it's finally happened!

APPLAUSE

But if you don't mind, we'll do

-the rest of the interview in English.

-OK.

Fair enough. What's it like, singing with your friends in the Royal Albert Hall?

It feels amazing. I was so lucky to perform here.

It's not very often you sing on Christmas morning, either!

No, not really!

He's like, "Yeah, whatever!

"Been there, done it, ticked it!" What are you doing next?

You've sung at the Albert Hall, there's nothing else to do!

Some of us are moving up to high school now,

so we've got to do a lot of studying.

That's reality for you, ladies and gentlemen.

-Are you going to carry on singing?

-Of course.

True Welshman!

Well, we think you're fantastic,

and I'm so pleased you won the Junior Competition.

Ysgol Pen Barras, ladies and gentlemen!

APPLAUSE

We associate bells with Christmas, don't we?

It was an interest in church bell ringing that inspired

the words of our next carol,

written in 1924 by English composer George Ratcliffe Woodward.

This one will be performed by our Stage Choirs, accompanied by

our Big Sing Orchestra, under the baton of Paul Leddington Wright.

It's Ding Dong Merrily On High.

APPLAUSE

Our Stage Choirs, ladies and gentlemen -

Saint Michael's Singers, the London Chorus,

the Adventist Vocal Ensemble and the Brighton Festival Chorus!

And now something that has become synonymous with Christmas.

You're bound to have heard it whilst buying presents.

A Spaceman Came Travelling. To perform it, the man who wrote it.

Please welcome back Chris de Burgh.

APPLAUSE

I've spent many hours with you, but I've never asked - what inspired you to write it?

I wrote A Spaceman Came Travelling in Drayton Gardens, London

on a hot August afternoon.

So the answer is, I have absolutely no idea!

But really, in the back of my mind, I'm a "What if?" person.

What if there is another sentient being out there in space,

keeping an eye on our planet

and the crazy things that we do from time to time?

Maybe they will come back and give us a few hints

about how to put the whole thing right.

This is a song that not only reminds me of Christmas, but many Christmases

in the past, and if you're unlucky enough to be stuck in an elevator

over the Christmas period,

the chances are you're going to hear this quite a bit!

I don't know about you, ladies and gentlemen,

but I can't wait to hear it now. Chris de Burgh.

APPLAUSE

# A spaceman came travelling on his ship from afar

# 'Twas light years of time since his mission did start

# And over a village He halted his craft

# And it hung in the sky like a star

# Just like a star

# He followed a light and came down to a shed

# Where a mother and child were lying there on a bed

# A bright light of silver shone round his head

# And he had the face of an angel

# And they were afraid

# Then the stranger spoke He said, "Do not fear

# "I come from a planet a long way from here

# "And I bring a message for mankind to hear"

# And suddenly, the sweetest music

# Filled the air

# And it went

ALL: # Na, na-na na, na-na na na-na na

# Na, na-na na, na-na na

# Na, na-na na, na-na na, na-na na

# Peace and goodwill to all men

# And love for the child

ALL: # Na, na-na na, na-na na na-na na

# Na, na-na na, na-na na

# Na, na-na na, na-na na, na-na na

# Ohhh, ohhh, ohhh

# This lovely music went trembling through the ground

# And many were wakened on hearing that sound

# And travellers on the road The village they found

# By the light of that ship in the sky

# Which shone all round

# And just before dawn At the paling of the sky

# The stranger returned and said "Now, I must fly

"When 2,000 years of your time has gone by

# "This song will begin once again..."

# "..To a baby's cry"

# And it goes

ALL: # Na, na-na na, na-na na na-na na

# Na, na-na na, na-na na

# Na, na-na na, na-na na, na-na na

# Peace and goodwill to all men

# And love for the child

# And we sing

ALL: # Na, na-na na, na-na na na-na na

# Na, na-na na, na-na na

# Na, na-na na, na-na na, na-na na

# This song will begin once again

# To a baby's cry-y-y-y. #

APPLAUSE

Ladies and gentlemen, Chris de Burgh!

Time for us all to sing together again.

Our next carol was written by Phillips Brooks in 1868,

following a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

He was so inspired by the views of the hills of Bethlehem,

especially at night,

that he wrote the beautiful O Little Town Of Bethlehem.

APPLAUSE

Now, back in 1982, a short animated film called The Snowman,

shown on television on Christmas Eve,

became an overnight success story that has lasted until today.

For many people, it's an essential part of Christmas viewing,

and the song in the film, Walking In The Air, was written by our next guest.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the Christmas Big Sing,

Howard Blake!

APPLAUSE

First things first, Howard. Thank you for giving me a career.

LAUGHTER

You deserved every bit of it.

What does Christmas mean to you?

Well, for me, Christmas changed once I wrote The Snowman

and Walking In The Air.

How did you get involved in The Snowman?

I saw this idea of Raymond Briggs's story and of the snowman flying,

and I had this song in my head, and I said, "We could make a film of this

"with no words, just let me see, let me do a little demo."

We tried Walking In the Air, and it worked, we put it together,

and we'd no idea it would be such a big hit, really.

I actually got into a cab one morning at Christmas,

and the taxi was playing Walking In The Air flat out,

and I said, "Would you mind turning that down a bit?"

He said, "You should listen to this, mate," he said.

And I said, "Well, actually, I wrote it,"

and he turned right round and said, "yes, and I'm Father Christmas".

LAUGHTER

Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to turn back the clock somewhat

and sing Walking In The Air now with these fine singers behind me,

-is that all right?

-That would be wonderful.

Ladies and gentlemen, the man responsible for

what I think is the greatest piece of music on Earth! Howard Blake!

APPLAUSE

CHILDREN: # We're walking in the air

# We're floating in the midnight sky

# The people down below are sleeping as we fly

# I'm holding very tight

I'm holding very tight

# I'm riding in the midnight blue

I'm riding in the midnight blue

# I'm finding I can fly so high above with you

# Riding in the midnight blue

# Far across the world

Far across the world

# The villages go by like dreams

The villages go by like dreams

# The rivers and the hills The forests and the streams

ALL: # Children gaze open-mouthed

# Taken by surprise

# Nobody down below believes their eyes

# We're surfing in the air

We're surfing in the air

# We're swimming in the frozen sky

We're swimming in the frozen sky

# We're drifting over icy mountains floating by

ALL: # Suddenly swooping low

# On an ocean deep

# Rousing up a mighty monster

# From his sleep

# We're walking in the air

# We're dancing in the midnight sky

# And everyone who sees us greets us as we fly

# We're walking in the air

# We're walking in the air. #

APPLAUSE

Ysgol Pen Barras and Howard Blake, ladies and gentlemen!

Well, that's nearly it for this Christmas Day Big Sing,

but our thanks to Chris de Burgh, Ysgol Pen Barras and Howard Blake.

Before we go, there's just time to sing once more together,

and it's one of the best-known and commonly-sung Christmas songs in the world,

written by James Lord Pierpont and published in 1857,

under the title One-Horse Open Sleigh, have you guessed what it is yet?

It is, of course, Jingle Bells.

From all of us on Songs Of Praise, have a very happy and peaceful Christmas.

Do join us again in the Royal Albert Hall next week

for our New Year's Day Big Sing.

Our special guests will be Alexandra Burke and Katie Melua.

Our Senior School Choir Of The Year,

the Edinburgh Academy, join the party,

so why don't you, too, as we celebrate the dawn of a new year.

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