New CD for Christmas Eve liturgy

JOY TO THE WORLD  The Adult Choir of St. Joseph, Mendham, released an 11-song compact disc of music from its prelude to the Christmas Eve Mass and the liturgy itself and features a wide range of hymns, both familiar and lesser-known. The sale of the collection will finance the purchase of new choir robes.

MENDHAM  For years, members of the Adult Choir of St. Joseph here have been helping prepare worshipers at the 10 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass for the birth of Baby Jesus by raising their soaring voices in singing an array of hymns — including a jubilant “Hallelujah Chorus” — before and during the liturgy. This Advent, the choir has released a 11-song CD of this joyous music that invites parishioners and other interested faithful to get into the spirit of the season.

The new 46-minute “Christmas Eve Music CD” features a wide range of hymns — both familiar and lesser-known — that the 30-voice Adult Choir sings during a 30-minute prelude to the Mass and a few during. So far, it has sold 100 of the 200 CDs that it has produced with profits set to finance the purchase of new choir robes, said Mary Pat Davies, the Adult Choir director for almost 30 years and music director at St. Joseph Parish.

“The music on the CD sets the mood for our Christmas Eve Mass. It’s such a joyful season and Christmas is the culmination of that,” said Davies, who also teaches music at St. Joseph School. “I’m happy with the performances of the choir on the CD. It came out well,” she said.

On the CD, an ensemble of instruments — including harp, trumpet, flute, violins, piano, and organ — accompany the Adult Choir, giving the music a rich texture. The prelude was recorded live in front of the congregation in St. Joseph Church on Christmas Eve in 2015 — all in single takes. The choir taped the some of the hymns it sang before the recording of the live prelude music at 9:30 p.m., said Davies.

The CD helps prepare listeners for Christmas with a repertoire of familiar hymns including, “Joy to the Word,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Silent Night,” “O Come, All Ye Faithful” with blasts of trumpet and organ and a great swell of voices, “What Child Is This?” with cascading piano, lilting violin and gentle singing from the choir and “O Holy Night” with its female soloist, Rachael Luscombe. “Ave Maria” shimmers with Alison Kurtz as soloist.

This CD ends with the group’s “trademark” piece: “Messiah Suite.” It features “And the Glory of the Lord,” “For Unto Us a Child is Born” and “Hallelujah Chorus.” The CD also features hymns that might be unfamiliar, including “Thankful” with a solo by Dan Drew, “Kyrie” and “Angels Carol,” one of the more challenging pieces for the group to sing, Davies said.

“For years, people have been asking the Adult Choir to record its music from Christmas Eve. Even our pastor, Msgr. Joseph Anginoli, wanted us to release a CD,” said Davies, who noted that the choir also recorded the music it sings for Holy Week and Easter, which will be released this coming year.

Msgr. Anginoli praised the Adult Choir’s singing at the 9:30 a.m. Mass on Sundays. This diverse group — which consists of members from young adults to senior citizens — practices for 90 minutes at the parish on Thursday nights. “And it bears fruit. Our Adult Choir always has been a shining light of our liturgy at St. Joseph’s. It’s a group of people, who share their time and talents with the parish by singing during the Mass, which is a form of prayer,” said Msgr. Anginoli, who noted that Bishop Serratelli praises the choir during his visits here for Confirmation. “With this CD, the Adult Choir is sharing this music with parishioners who can play it in their homes or give to other people as a gift.”

[Copies of the “Christmas Eve Music CD” are $25 each. To order, call St. Joseph Parish at (973) 543-5950, email Mary Pat Davies at [email protected] or send a check to the parish

at 6 New St. Mendham, N.J. 07945.]/strong>