Performer: thepianoplayer416
Piece: The Huron Carol. Original Huron text by Fr. Jean de Brebeuf (1642) based on an old French song. The English version was by JE Middleton (1899).
Comment Policy: General Comments only: Polite, supportive, suggestions for improvement.

Source of music: arrangement from Sheet Music Plus
Instrument: Yamaha grand, P-125 & violin.
Recording method: Canon EOS M-200
Additional info: this is a hymn in church played around Christmas that originated in Canada. Specifically central Ontario where the Huron natives lived. In the 17th century France already colonized Quebec as "New France". Catholic missionaries were sent to places outside Quebec to convert the locals to Christianity.
A traditional hymn is repetitive with 3 or more verses. When you hear pieces like these performed on the radio, it is usually in an arrangement with different instruments playing solo than several verses sounding roughly the same. Here 3 instruments were used to keep the piece from sounding too repetitive.

The local church I attended this piece is in the hymn book but rarely sung. Every year the 2 pieces "O Come All Ye Faithful" & "Joy to the World" seems to be always on the list in the Christmas service.

    Performer: Summer
    Piece: Suite from the Polar Express
    Comment Policy: Critical Comments: Anything goes!

    Source of music: Musescore (Can be found here)
    Additional info: I'm a day late, oh well. I love this song, and this arrangement is genuinely one of the hardest things I've played on piano. Merry Christmas everyone!

      Summer- WOW! Very dramatic. Those runs, for that matter the whole piece, looks really hard. You played it fantasticly.

        Peyton Thanks! I don't know how I managed those chromatic scales in this recording, I usually mess them up and this was my first recording attempt. I definitely made a few mistakes, but with the amount of octaves and awkward sections that was inevitable.

          WieWaldi Thanks. yea, it was not good at all. I lost everything i owned including my cats and my grand piano. That's why the song holds special significance for me. The pictures in the video are of the home I lost and of course the song is about the home as well. We lost the house a few days after Christmas and it has taken three years to build our new home. We actually renovated my studio which was the barn and put on an addition. It's wonderful and I have a new piano, a yamaha digital grand that I love. It's not my acoustic grand but has some bells and whistles that work really well with my song writing.

            Nightowl I love the song but... I could watch Ingrid Bergman all day long. 🙂

              4 days later

              Performer: pianocat
              Piece: Auld Lang Syne
              Comment Policy: All comments welcome

              Source of music: Faber Piano Adventures Christmas Book 2
              Instrument: Kawai K200
              Recording method: cell phone with Zoom H1essential mic

              Additional info:

              I literally just started this piece today. I practiced/learned for roughly 90 mins, plus another 30-45 mins or so of trying to get a recording-worthy take, pausing to troubleshoot tricky passages along the way.

              I just got the H1essential for Christmas, so I was eager to try it out. Today seemed like a fitting day to learn this piece. With more time, I would have tried to even out the dynamics and pedal, and make sure I was sticking to my legato fingering. But for recording it on a lark, it's pretty decent.

                navindra unstickied the discussion .

                Rob Thanks for sharing Ding Dong Merrily on High! It sounds really nice. It's amazing what you've done with VSTs!

                • Rob likes this.

                  keff Light jazz version of We Wish You a Merry Christmas

                  Thanks for the nice playing of a lovely arrangement!

                    Rob Does anyone remember the Swingle Singers?
                    Just having a bit of fun here!

                    Very nice!

                    • Rob likes this.

                      rach3master Waltz of the Flowers

                      Wonderfully played! Thanks for sharing!

                        Sam I enjoy your playing of this fun arrangement!

                          WieWaldi Let It Snow (with a touch of Blues)

                          Nicely done! The arrangement is perfect for you and your playing sounds great!

                            Peyton Thanks for sharing your playing and singing! Sounds great!

                              thepianoplayer416 Nice job putting the instruments together. Thanks for your playing, it sounds great! I love the hats!

                                  Cratersmash Really impressive playing! Thanks for sharing!

                                    pianocat Auld Lang Syne

                                    Welcome to Piano | Tell! Thanks for capping off the recital with your lovely playing of this nice arrangement!

                                      Thanks everyone for participating in the Holiday Themed Recital! I love listening to you all play festive pieces!

                                      rogerch
                                      Thanks for your comments.
                                      The Santa & Santa Helper hats are seasonal. You would wear one aound Christmas.

                                      The 3 different instruments (piano, organ & violin) were included in the video for comparison. Many years ago a church in the neighborhood asked me to play some hymns during their Sunday services. It was a small ensemble with piano, flute & violin playing together. I didn't feel confident at the time and turned it down. Today hymns are played either with a piano or digital keyboard. In many cases, piano & organ can be used interchangeably. Both sound wonderful and unique in its own way.