December 25, 2020

78 RPMs 8: Fred Waring & The Pennsylvanians ‎~ A Visit From St. Nicholas

 ~     
  Illustration – Vander Noot

     
A Visit from St. Nicholas, more commonly known as The Night Before Christmas and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 and later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, who claimed authorship in 1837.    
 
 
 
1912 edition of the poem
illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith


The poem (link below) has been called "arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American" and is largely responsible for some of the conceptions of Santa Claus from the mid-nineteenth century to today.    
 
A Visit from St. Nicholas was first published on Dec. 23, 1823 in the Troy Sentinel newspaper in upstate New York.        
 
It has had a massive effect on the history of Christmas gift-giving. Before the poem gained wide popularity, American ideas had varied considerably about Saint Nicholas and other Christmastide visitors. A Visit from St. Nicholas eventually was set to music and has been recorded by many artists.   

Various celebrities along with Charles, Prince of Wales & Dame Judi Dench produced a video of a reading of the poem (link below). The video was created to benefit the Actors’ Benevolent Fund, which Prince Charles has supported for over 20 years. The charity supports and stage managers displaced by injury, illness, old age or financial hardship during the coronavirus pandemic.         

Prince Charles tested positive for the coronavirus in March and self-isolated for a week in Scotland with mild COVID-19 symptoms. He later told Sky News he was lucky to have “got away with it quite lightly."        
     
     
Tracklist:

side 1:

A - A Visit From St. Nicholas ('Twas The Night Before Christmas) Part 1 - 3:27

side 2:

B - A Visit From St. Nicholas ('Twas The Night Before Christmas) Part 2 - 3:12

Companies, etc.

    Record Company – Decca Records, Inc.

Credits:

    Illustration – Vander Noot

Fred Waring & The Pennsylvanians ‎– A Visit From St. Nicholas ('Twas The Night Before Christmas)
Label: Decca ‎– DU 88023, Decca ‎– C.U.S. 16
Format: Vinyl, 10", 78 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1949
Genre: Pop, Children's
Style: Story, Choral, Vocal

 
 
         
     
Viewfinder links:     
     
Christmas stuff(ings)     
Clement Clarke Moore     
     
     
Net links:     
      
NPR ~ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas in 2020            
Poetry Foundation ~ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas     
     
YouTube links:     
      
Prince Charles & Judi Dench ~ ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas    
Fred Waring & The Pennsylvanians ~ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas     
     
     
     
       
'Twas the night before Christmas . . . 
             ~ Clement Clarke Moore
     
     
           
       
Styrous® ~ Christmas, Friday, December 25, 2020       
       















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