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Il est ne le divin enfant, Kate and Anna McGarrigle

For today’s Christmas carol, we’re heading overseas.  In high school, Mme. Tuomala (as you might guess she was our French teacher at San Domenico School) taught us French carols, and I always loved Il est ne le divin enfant (the holy child is born).  I have a version that includes Ca Bergers (sorry, don’t know how to make the cedille and the accents in French on my laptop), sung by Kate and Anna McGarrigle.  Here is a version on Youtube; skip to the 2 minute point where the singing begins.

Mme. Tuomala met a US soldier during World War 2 whom she married and then immigrated to the U.S.  Her mother, Mme. Peyrol, also came and also taught at San Domenico.  I remember my classes and Mme. Tuomala (who was always Mme. Tuomala and never Violette to me).  I learned so much from her that I went straight into Advanced French in college and tested well when I entered the Foreign Service.  She was from Provence, and maybe some day I will get to visit her native home.  I can still remember her telling the story of her dog, alerting him to an intruder in the yard:  “Chat! Chat!” and watching him go berserk yapping at the cat on the other side of the sliding door!

2 Responses to “Il est ne le divin enfant, Kate and Anna McGarrigle”

  1. Karen Miller Says:

    Love the regional variation. Reminds me of the west Texas version of “Mr Fox went out on a stormy night” that Ed learned from his grandmother.

  2. Marjolijn Says:

    They sing wonderful. In loved Compainte pour Ste Catherine! That is so beautiful. They have a very special sound.