Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) by Nikhil
Thought you might enjoy this:
“Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.” (1 Chronicles 16:8-9 KJV)
Savannah Sparrow singing by Raymond Barlow
“The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.” (Psalms 65:13 KJV)
Tree Swallows Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge by jeremyjonkman on Flickr From Pinterest
“By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.” (Psalms 104:12 KJV)
Wood Storks in Top of Tree at Circle B
There are quite a few versions of this song on YouTube. This is just one of many.
I received this in an e-mail and wanted to share it. Enjoy.
Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy. (Psalms 33:3 NKJV)
The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. (Psalms 28:7 NKJV)
One morning while reading a newspaper, Jarbas saw a photograph of birds on an electric wire. He cut out the photo and was inspired to make a song using the exact location of the birds as musical notes. He was curious to hear what melody the birds created.
He sent the music to the photographer, Paulo Pinto, who told his editor, who told a reporter and the story ended up as an interview in the newspaper. It ended up Winner of the YouTube Play Guggenheim Biennial Festival.
Just have a listen below at how incredible this sounds.
You can check out Jarbas Agnelli’s live presentation of Birds On The Wires
“The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a cumulative song, meaning that each verse is built on top of the previous verses. There are twelve verses, each describing a gift given by “my true love” on one of the twelve days of Christmas. (I took a few liberties with the photos)
A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth. (Proverbs 17:8 KJV)
In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. (Ecclesiastes 7:14 KJV)
The Twelve Days of Christmas (12 Days of Christmas)
On the third day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
Common Blackbird (Turdus merula) by Ian
On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Four (Cully) calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Five golden rings,
Four (Culley) calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four (Cully) calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
Swans at Bok Tower by Dan
On the seventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four (Cully) calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) - chick in Zoo Basel is fed on crop milk.
On the eighth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four (Cully) calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four (Cully) calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four (Cully) calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) by Ray
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four (Cully) calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four (Cully) calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!
*
Below is some of the information about how the song came about and some of the different interpretations of it. I especially like the idea that the 12 days represent different aspects of Christianity. The fact that it was a code is not verifiable, does not diminish its relationship to twelve things. I took a few liberties with the photos, but was trying to use birds for the days. Pushed a few of them, but trust you enjoy my efforts.
“Meaning
The lyrics of The Twelve Days of Christmas may have no meaning at all. Its meaning, if it has any, has yet to be satisfactorily explained.
According to The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, “Suggestions have been made that the gifts have significance, as representing the food or sport for each month of the year. Importance [certainly has] long been attached to the Twelve Days, when, for instance, the weather on each day was carefully observed to see what it would be in the corresponding month of the coming year. Nevertheless, whatever the ultimate origin of the chant, it seems probable [that] the lines that survive today both in England and France are merely an irreligious travesty.”
A bit of modern folklore claims that the song’s lyrics were written as a “catechism song” to help young Catholics learn their faith, at a time when practising Catholicism was criminalized in England (1558 until 1829). There is no primary evidence supporting this claim, and no evidence that the claim is historical, or “anything but a fanciful modern day speculation.” The theory is of relatively recent origin. It was first suggested by Canadian English teacher and hymnologist Hugh D. McKellar in a short article, “How to Decode the Twelve Days of Christmas,” published in 1979. In a later article published in the music journal The Hymn, he reiterates that the associations are his. The idea was further popularized by a Catholic priest, Fr. Hal Stockert, in an article he wrote in 1982 and posted online in 1995.
Variations in lyrics provide further evidence against the “catechism song” origin. For example, the four Gospels are often described as the “four calling birds,” when in fact the phrase “calling birds” is a modern (probably 20th century) phonetic misunderstanding of “colly birds” (blackbirds).
Regardless of the origin of this idea, a number of Christians give the following meanings to the gifts:
“The Twelve Days of Christmas” as a Catechism Song
Gift
Interpretation
A partridge in a pear tree
Jesus
Two turtle doves
The Old and New Testaments
Three French hens
The three kings bearing gifts
Four calling [sic] birds
The four Gospels
Five gold rings
The Torah or Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament
Who hasn’t heard Manhattan Transfer sing A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square? And did you know it was a Nightingale that inspired Tchaikovsky when he was composing his Humoresque opus 10-2? Even my grandson knows about the beauty of the Nightingale’s Song from Hans Christian Andersen’s story The Nightingale. In short, the Nightingale’s Song is a sound of pure beauty with quite a reputation. Ever heard a greater song?
Nightingales are named so because they frequently sing at night as well as during the day. The name means ‘night songstress’. As is usual, it is the male who sings, not the female. He does so with ulterior motives: to attract a mate.
The male nightingale is known for his singing, to the extent that human singers are sometimes admiringly referred to as nightingales; the song is loud, with an impressive range of whistles, trills and gurgles. Its song is particularly noticeable at night because few other birds are singing. This is why its name (in several languages) includes “night”.
Singing at dawn, during the hour before sunrise, is assumed to be important in defending the bird’s territory. Nightingales sing even more loudly in urban or near-urban environments, in order to overcome the background noise.
I know an even more beautiful song that helps me overcome the background noise of life. It’s God’s Song! Did you know God sings? The Bible says so!
In Zephaniah 3:17 it says:
The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Oh! What an awesome thought! The Creator of all nature thinks I’m so special, and takes such delight in me that He sings lullabies to quiet me with His love! It is an intimacy that surpasses the mother-child intimacy, and I depend upon it many nights. I even sing back to Him and drift off to a peaceful, natural sleep. During the most troubled times of my life, it’s been the only way I could sleep.
Me singing to my Heavenly Father is one thing; but knowing He rejoices over me with singing is just too awesome to comprehend. No wonder I love Him so much!
(c) 2009 April Lorier
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20
Supplied by and reprinted with permission of April Lorier.
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