No one sings Christmas Carols better than Clay Aiken. Somehow, his voice just soars when he sings the beautiful songs of the season. His album, “Merry Christmas With Love” set a record for 1st week sales of a holiday album with sales of 270,010. When Clay released his Holiday EP, “All Is Well” in 2006, he added four more beautiful songs to his library of recorded Christmas Carols.
Clay included one of the most loved traditional Christmas Carols, “O, Holy Night,” on his album. This carol has been named one of the most beautiful of all Christmas Carols, with excellent lyrics and a beautiful melody.
The author of the lyrics was Placide Cappeau who lived in the historic city of Avignon. He was a commissionaire of wines, and an occasional writer of poetry. The local parish priest asked Cappeau to write a Christmas poem.
On a trip to Paris, Cappeau took the poem to the composer Adolphe Adam. Adam was the composer of over 80 stage works. Adam wrote the tune in a few days, and the song received its premier at the midnight mass on Christmas Eve 1847.
There is some interesting trivia associated with this song: in 1906, Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden made what many consider to be the first ever radio broadcast in Brant Rock, Massachusetts. His brief broadcast included him playing “O Holy Night” on the violin, making it the first song ever broadcast on radio.
“O, Holy Night”
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining;
This is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, oh night when Christ was born;
O night, oh holy night, oh night divine.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, oh night when Christ was born;
O night, oh holy night, oh night divine.
No one sings this beautiful carol better than Clay Aiken!!
The following video was made by the talented SueReu.
Watch Clay sing O Holy Night -and a bit more too!