In college, I sang with the chorale and loved it. Every year, we put on three Christmas concerts, and among the songs on my ginormous Christmas playlist are those from a recording of one of them.

Along with the traditional Christmas songs like “Joy to the World” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” one song we always sang was “Tollite Hostias,” an oratorio by Saint-Saens. It’s a Latin song that translates to, “Bring offerings and worship the Lord in his holy habitation. Let the heavens rejoice and the earth exult in the presence of the Lord, for he comes. Hallelujah.”

But aside from the concert, we also sang it at every concert after-party at precisely midnight. Imagine a bunch of drunk college kids jumping up and down while singing a Latin song in four-part harmony- it’s pretty much the most amazing thing ever.

Oh, actually, you don’t have to imagine it! It looks like someone has uploaded a recording of it to YouTube. This brings back some great memories, and I’m glad that current choralers are carrying on this tradition. Enjoy.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEbZ43rWSwQ]