Kerstmis - Christmas in Flanders

There may be no better way to herald the holiday season with this gorgeous cover and the lovely and touching music it contains.

Lod. de Vocht

"Kerstmis" is Dutch for Christmas, and this 10-inch LP originated in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, circa 1960.

Leading the vocal and instrumental ensembles, and I believe also arranging the music, is the Flemish composer, conductor and educator Lodewijk de Vocht (1887-1977). The choral groups are the Royal Chorale Caecilia, which de Vocht founded, and the Boys' Choir of St. Livinus's College, Antwerp.

De Vocht reached back as far as the 14th century for his materials, arranging them to present the story of the nativity.

Poster for 1940 de Vocht concert

I was enchanted by the music and charmed by the performances, and wanted to provide you with a translation of the explanatory notes, which are in Dutch. Unfortunately, the machine translation was too far afield from comprehensibility for me to even complete a rough clean up for you. At one point Google insisted that the shepherds' voices were accompanied by shawms and a noodle pack, which can't be right.

UPDATE: Flemish reader Monsieur Maurice has come to the rescue with a translation of the notes into English! Please see the comments section for a link. Thanks, Monsieur Maurice!

After some coaxing, the record yielded pleasing sound. But there are a few momentary hiccups that I hope you will forgive, this being the holiday season and all.

Happy Thanksgiving to US readers!