About 17 minutes after a very difficult conversation with my sister’s fiduciary on Saturday, an email came into my queue announcing that an old friend had bought me a Jacquie Lawson Advent Calendar.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Jacquie Lawson Multiverse,
she’s a British designer who’s built an online enterprise around animated
cards; the apotheosis every year is her advent calendar. Twenty-five days of
music, games, recipes and interactive activities, themed to either a location
(Edinburgh) or time period (last year was Edwardian). This year it’s
contemporary (if idealized) Paris, my favorite city.
My sister started giving me the JL Advent Calendar about 12
or 13 years ago. Around the time she stopped, Dick put me on his gift list, so I’ve
been entertained and enchanted for more than a decade. This time, it means so much to me to
have this, because I know Penny’s time is short, and I view every animation and
hear every musical piece with her eyes and ears and her sense of delight. I'm doing it for both of us.
So today’s Advent piece is what Lawson tagged for yesterday’s
activity (bluebirds decorating an outside Christmas tree): “Un flambeau, Jeannette,
Isabelle”. The carol originated in Provence some time in the 17th Century.
It’s all about two farm girls who have found mother and child in the stable,
and rush to tell the villagers of their discovery.
I learned this in a French class, and in fact I don’t know
the English words. But here’s one translation of the first verse:
Bring a torch, Jeannette, Isabelle,
Bring a torch to the cradle, run!
It is Jesus, good folk of the village,
Christ is born and Mary’s calling,
Ah! Ah! Beautiful is the mother!
Ah! Ah! Beautiful is the son!
It goes on to describe a celebratory feast, and to admonish
the villagers to hush because the baby’s sleeping.
This recording is by the choir of Nôtre-Dame de Lourdes, Maillardville, Coquitlam, British Columbia. It is one of the very few that have not been John Rutterized.
©2024 Bas Bleu
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