Poles and Polonia throughout the world have a special fondness for Christmas, which is evident in the enormous volume and beautiful nature of our Christmas Carols. While kolędy like Dzisiaj w Betlejem and Lulajże Jezuniu are much better known and more commonly sung throughout the season, there also exists a whole other realm of Polish Christmas carols.
Pastorałki (in English “Shepherd’s Carols”) are the folk carols of Poland. Like kolędy, they also tell of the birth of Christ, but their lyrics and melodies are much more informal. A common lyrical theme of pastorałki is the re-imagining of the Nativity as though it were occurring in one’s own village – the shepherds of Galilee are portrayed as local shepherds or farmers, and the Mary and Joseph as fellow villagers. By humanizing and localizing the Holy Family and other characters from the Nativity, pastorałki make the story more relatable and understandable to the average person.
The lyrics of pastorałki are sometimes profoundly intimate, as though you yourself are cradling the Christ Child, making Him laugh, or playing music for Him. Other times they can be humorous and playful – such as Joseph chastising a shepherd for how he smells, or for playing his instrument too loudly. While still other pastorałki are almost completely secular, with lyrics about caroling and merrymaking.
The rich tapestry of Polish Christmas music would be incomplete and much less colorful without pastorałki. These are the everyday carols that our grandparents and great-grandparents would have sung throughout the Christmas season. It is my hope that in some small way, this recording will help to revive that musical tradition, and that these songs will bring you the same joy throughout Christmas that they brought our ancestors.
- Troy Gawlak
Check out this fine Christmas CD album today!
Track Listing:
1. We the Poor Also Worship
2. The Shepherds Are Awakened
3. Here is the Stable
4. Not in Bethlehem of Galilee
5. We Have Good News Today
6. I’ll Jump for the Lord
7. The Star Shined
8. What a Star
9. We the Shepherds
10. Happy is the Cradle
11. Mary Wandered Afar
12. Welcome the Child Born of a Virgin
13. The Star Leads Me
14. The New Year Rushes
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Troy Gawlak's Polish Carolers |