Brother Heinrich's Christmas

Brother Heinrich's Christmas Brother Helmrich's Christmas AUTHOR'S NOTE: According to a familiar legend, the lovely carol In dulci jubilo was first sung by a band of angels, who came down to visit the 14th-century Dominican mystic Heinrich Suso and dance with him one night when he was unhappy and in low spirits. After the angels had departed, Suso wrote down the carol so that he should never forget how beautiful it was.

That much of Brother Heinrich's Christmas could be fact; the rest is invention - though choir directors might agree that their choir contains at least one donkey, with vocal resources just as limited as Sigismund's. No doubt it is too much to expect that, as a general rule, the angels will come to the rescue of every composer up against a tight deadline ... but, on Christmas Night, anything might be possible. ~ J.R. Cambridge, 1985

Brother Helmrich's Christmas On Christmas Eve, at the 7:00 service, a Narrator, Lou Kolb; Brother Heinrich, Nick Buckman; Sigismund (the donkey), Annika Waffenschmidt; Brother Joseph, Stefan Weber; an Abbot, Declan Jones; an Archbishop, Pr. Elkin; several Monks, Jacob Schreckengast, Owen Gair, Ben Haussmann, Stefan Weber, Sean Jensen, and Jonah Schreckengast; some Singing Angels, Anna Zeigler, Taylor Wentzel, Makensi Doebler, Grace Schreckengast, Laura Zeigler, Sadie Wentzel, and Hannah Haussmann (also dance leader); and a few more Dancing Angels, Elizabeth Haussmann, Liam Elkin, Levi Gair, Emma Elkin, Gabriella Gregory, and Abbigail Robertson brought the legend of the writing of this lovely carol to life. Their singing was accompanied by instrumentalists Laura Schreckengast (clarinet), Sara Jones (flute), and Donna Elkin (piano and musical director). The presentation was directed and designed by Bernadette Jones.

Everyone did an excellent job and we thank them for giving so generously of their time and talent at that busy time of year.

Brother Helmrich's Christmas