John Doan - Wrapped in White: Visions of Christmas Past

John Doan performs Christmas songs with Victorian-era instrumentation.

21 favorite Christmas carols played on authentic 19th century popular instruments from Victorian America. The timeless tradition of carols, the sweet nostalgia: John Doan returns us to an ideal Christmas warmly remembered, lovingly retold. John Doan's signature harp guitar joins with turn-of-the-century parlor guitar, classical banjo, mandolin, violin, viola, cello, sleigh bells and toy piano to recreate a rich amber home-by-the-fire aura typical of Christmas in the Victorian era. Imaginative new arrangements weave these familiar melodies into new creations. Vernacular sounds evoke the time when evergreens first came indoors and the tradition of hanging ornaments began. It was a time when Americans had to make music if they wanted to hear it.

In sixteen pages of carefully researched and lovingly written notes Doan shows a deep understanding of the carols and gives insights into the history of the instruments. His stories amuse and enlighten: discover how a hungry mouse humbled what was supposed to be the magnificent debut performance of "Silent Night" - and what "auld lang syne" really means.

Doan groups the carols in new ways: Carols of Kings, Carols of Birth, Carols of Joy, "O" Carols, Carols of Night, Carols of Bells & Farewells. He invites his listeners to journey back through the images of each carol and experience the scenes unfolding anew: The three Carols of Kings come together like the three magi, each a different color and race, converging from distant lands upon a starlit scene; a traditional carol whose joyous hand drum rhythms recall the Christmas birth in a land close to North Africa; and the quintessential image - a lone infant ... wrapped in white ... nestled in a manger, heralded by angels as "the light of the world."

"Call him Mr. Christmas."

- The Statesman Journal (Portland, OR)

2-HOS-11055

Credits

1. Carol Of The Bells (3:30) Traditional Ukrainian carol.
John Doan-Concert harp guitar & bells.
2. Away In The Manger (:32) John Doan-Ukelin.
3. In The Manger (4:43) Away In The Manger
(1) attributed to Martin Luther. Away In The Manger (2) by
Johathan E.Spillman. John Doan-Concert harp guitar; Ken
Culver, Hugh Ewart, and Billy Oskay-violins; Barbara
Rinearson-Cello.
4. We Three Kings (:26) John
Doan-American mandolin harp. 5. Three Kings (3:38)
Noel Nouvelet is a traditional French Carol. We Three Kings
is an American Carol by John Hopkins. The Three Kings is a
traditional Flemish Carol. John Doan-Concert harp guitar;
Ken Culver, Hugh Ewart, and Billy Oskay-violins; Ken Culver,
and Billy Oskay-viola; Barbara Rinearson-Cello; Michael
Beach-darbuka, davul, def, and zils; Carmen Linn-zils.
6. 0 Come, O Come (4:50) O Come, O Come
Emanuel is derived from an old Gregorian Chant. O Come
All Ye Faithful is an old Latin hymn first printed in John
Wade's Cantus Diversi, 1751. John Doan-Concert harp gui-
tar; Ken Culver, Hugh Ewart, and Billy Oskay-violins; Ken
Culver, and Billy Oskay-viola; Barbara Rinearson-Cello:
Chris Hansen-piccolo trumpet. 7. Angels We Have
Heard On High & The First Noel (:34) John
Doan-Tremblelin. 8. The Angels First Noel (3:29)
The First Noel and Angels We Have Heard On High are tra-
ditional French English carols. John Doan-Concert harp
guitar. 9. Joy To The World (:35) Edison Concert
Band as played from a wax cylinder on an Edison Home
Phonograph. 10. Joy To The World (1:36) Music by
Lowell Mason, John Doan-tremblelin. 11. Jesu Joy
(2:54) Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring-Music by Johann
Sebastian Bach. Written as a choral prelude which
concludes both halves of Bach's Cantata 147 for the feast of
Visitation. John Doan-classical banjo and Concert harp
guitar: Ken Culver-mandolin and violin:
Billy Oskay-viola; Vern Vascy-mando-bass.
12. Born Is Jesus The Infant King (:20)
John Doan-Hohner Marine Band Tremolo Harmonica..
13. Infant King (4:06) Born Is Jesus The Infant King and
Free Jacques are traditional French melodies. John
Doan-Concert harp guitar; BillyOskay-harmonium; Dagny
Regan-oboe. 14. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
(2:18) Music by Richard S. Willis, 1851. John Doan-Gibson
harp guitar 15. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas (:28) John
Doan-toy piano. 16. Jolly Old King Wenceslas
(4:49) Jolly Old Saint Nicholas is a traditional American Carol.
Good King Wenceslas-music arranged by sir John Stainer from
the ancient Swedish Lutheran Hymnal, Pie Cantiones (Sacred
Songs), 1582. John Doan-Concert harp guitar; Michael
Beach-snare drum, and bass drum. 17. Go Tell It (2:51)
Go Tell It On The Mountain is a Traditional American spiritual.
John Doan-classical banjo; Billy Oskay-violin & harmonium;
Ken Culver-mandolin: Vern Vasey-mando-bass.
18. 0 Christmas Tree (1:29) Traditional German Carol O
Tannenbaum. John Doan-autoharp. 19. Silent Night
(:28) The Gem Roller Organ. 20. Silent Night (2:24)
Music by Franz Gruber, 1818. John Doan-parlor guitar; Bridget
Harris-cello. 21. Old Long Since (Auld Lang Syne)
(2:31) Traditional, attributed to Robert Burns. John
Doan-Concert harp guitar, mandolin, tremblelin, banjo, and
sleigh bells; Billy Oskay-harmonium, violin, and oboe.