Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

The lyrics of this whimsical carol may have originally referred to the wise men arriving on camels or “ships of the desert,” with the Magi gradually being replaced over time by the Holy Family. Experience Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a one-hour holiday spectacular featuring operatic tenor Rolando Villazón as guest artist and narrator. Premieres Dec 15 at 9/8C.

Katherine Davis’s 1941 Christmas song, “Carol of the Drum” was based largely on a traditional Czech carol. In 1963 it was retitled “Little Drummer Boy,” and remains to this day a much-loved seasonal classic. Experience Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring Rolando Villazón, premiering Friday, December 15 at 9/8C on PBS.

Although the tune for “Deck the Hall” is a Welsh melody from the 16th century, the words are mid-19th century American, written in an attempt to evoke nostalgically the Christmas traditions of European ancestors. Experience Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring Rolando Villazón, premiering Friday, December 15 at 9/8C on PBS.

Handel's oratorio Saul begins with a Chorus of Israelites praising God for saving their nation through David’s miraculous slaying of Goliath. The scene later concludes with an abbreviated reprise of this regal chorus, “How Excellent Thy Name,” appended by a joyfully contrapuntal “Alleluia!” Experience Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring Rolando Villazón, premiering 12/15 at 9/8C.

“Campana Sobre Campana,” a traditional Andalusian Christmas song, is one of the most famous of all Spanish carols. In this song, heavenly angels ring the bells of Bethlehem, inviting all to join with the shepherds and see the Christ Child in the manger. Experience Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring Rolando Villazón, premiering Friday, December 15 at 9/8C.

In 1970, English composer and playwright Leslie Bricusse penned the Oscar-nominated soundtrack for the film "Scrooge" based on Charles Dickens’s classic "A Christmas Carol". Singing “Christmas Children” together, Bob Cratchit and his children delight in the anticipation and childlike wonder of Christmas magic as they relish the coming celebration. Premieres Friday, December 15 at 9/8C on PBS.

This sprightly march was originally written as a solo piano piece in 1897 by the German composer Leon Jessel, though it was then titled “Parade of the Tin Soldiers.” In 1905, Jessel orchestrated the work, and it became a popular favorite worldwide. Experience Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring Rolando Villazón, premiering Friday, December 15 at 9/8C on PBS.

The Christmas carol “We Three Kings” was written in 1857 by John Henry Hopkins, Jr., who intended the song to be sung by a trio of male voices, each representing one of the Magi. For this Christmas concert, Richard Elliott arranged “We Three Kings” for a different trio, bringing in Clay Christiansen and Andrew Unsworth to join him as the three “kings” of this “King of Instruments.”

In this dramatization of “The Little Match Girl,” Rolando Villazón narrates David Warner’s new iteration of the poignant tale over the Orchesta’s backdrop of original music by Mack Wilberg, as the Choir provides commentaries on nurturing the divine spark of faith and love. Experience Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring Rolando Villazón, premiering Friday, December 15 at 9/8C.

The lyrics to this affectingly simple German Christmas carol were penned in 1798 by a Catholic priest, Christoph von Schmid. Though Schmid’s verse was set to various melodies in the 19th century, it is best-known in an 1835 setting that matched the poem to the tune of a children’s song from 1790 composed by the German court musician Johann A. P. Schulz.

The familiar, beloved account of Christ’s birth found in the Gospel of St. Luke has long been the traditional centerpiece of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s Christmas concerts. In this concert, Rolando Villazón’s narration is accompanied by a gentle orchestral meditation based on musical motifs drawn from “O Come, Little Children.” Premieres Friday, December 15 at 9/8C.

The tune for this popular Christmas song comes from the 18th-century French carol “Les Anges dans nos Campagnes.” In Mack Wilberg’s stirring arrangement, this carol has become the signature finale at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Featuring tenor Rolando Villazón.