While listening to John Fahey's version of "The First Noel" tonight, I realized there's a quality it shares with Pete Seeger's rendition. Both interpretations have an endearing deliberateness to them; if a student is starting out on guitar, Fahey's version would be ideal to learn. Fahey's playing and Seeger's singing stick almost resolutely to the text. The asterisk that "almost" implies, however, makes all the difference. In both versions, there's just enough of a freewheeling quality to put each artist's stamp on the carol.
Both artists interpret "The First Noel" with feeling--restrained but sincere feeling.
