The Spirit Of Christmas: Christmas Carols Sung By The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Spirit of Christmas, released in 1959 and performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, represents a significant moment in the history of recorded sacred music, not only for its musical content but also for its place in the early era of stereo recording. By the end of the 1950s, stereo had begun to replace monaural sound for prestige classical and choral albums, and this recording benefits from that technological advancement, allowing listeners to experience the Choir’s vast sound with enhanced spatial depth and realism.
Musically, the album reflects the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the height of its mid-century authority and refinement. Under the direction of Richard P. Condie, the Choir delivers traditional Christmas carols with a disciplined reverence that emphasizes blend, balance, and textual clarity. The interpretations avoid excessive dramatization, favoring steady tempos and clearly shaped phrases that allow the inherent beauty of the melodies and harmonies to emerge naturally. This restrained approach underscores the sacred purpose of the repertoire and reinforces the contemplative spirit of the Christmas season.
Artist(s): Choir – Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Directed By Richard P. Condie
Directed By [Assistant] – Jay Welch
Organ – Alexander Schreiner, Frank W. Asper
Recording Info: Released 1959
Sourced from a 4-track tape
Components used for Transfer: Analog: Transport - Studer A810 with Flux Heads
Preamp - Custom Tape Pre-amp designed by Victor Khomenko of Balanced Audio Technology outfitted with CryoTone tubes
Digital: Merging Hapi Analog to Digital Converter clocked by an Antelope Audio 10MX Atomic Clock
Software: Merging Pyramix v15
Power Conditioning: Shunyata Research Everest 8000 for all components with Shunyata Sigma-X Power Cords.
All components are grounded to Shunyata ALTAIRA Hubs
Please Note: This release was edited in DXD PCM from a DSD256 Master
then the DXD edited master was used to generate the final DSD files using
Merging Technologies Album Publishing.
DXD (352.8KHz 24/32 bit PCM) is one of the best and least destructive formats for post-processing DSD-originated digital recordings
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