Stay in the Loop
BSR publishes on a weekly schedule, with an email newsletter every Wednesday and Thursday morning. There’s no paywall, and subscribing is always free.
Beyond Muzak: A few kind words for Christmas music
In Praise of Christmas Carols
Maria Thompson Corley
With the Christmas season comes the inescapable aural accompaniment-- the Christmas carol.
I know, I know— same old tired tunes, and they've been done so many ways there's nothing left to do with them any more. The Christmas CD is the last resort of every has-been performer, or the marketing ploy of every ripe young hopeful. But it's a funny thing: For a regular churchgoer, the Christmas season is the time you hear the greatest melodies. There's good reason we keep singing, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Angels We Have Heard on High" with such gusto: They're beautifully written.
Actually, there are a gazillion Christmas carols, and some of the lesser-known ones are truly wonderful. As a church organist, I enjoy throwing in something obscure every year. I save this for the prelude or the choir, however, because people get really upset if you choose a hymn they haven't already memorized.
In my experience, Christmas has always been a time of extra-special music: more instruments, solos, and choral pieces, all prepared with additional care. After I moved out of my childhood home, Christmas became the one time of year when I got to sing in the church choir rather than play an instrument. I have lifelong friends, also back for the holidays, who would join me in song, all of us under my mother's direction. The feeling of reconnecting, plus the joy of singing in a group, will always be precious to me.
An antidote for winter loneliness
After I got married, I stopped returning home to Canada every December. I had a job in Florida directing the church choir on Christmas Eve. Before my children were born, my husband, an only child, would spend the days leading up to Christmas in New York with his divorced mother, who was prone to both illness and loneliness, while I stayed in Florida until after the Christmas Eve services. I, too, was prone to loneliness, but I'd always treat myself to a few new Christmas tapes to get me through. I'd also choose two or three carols to arrange for the church's annual Christmas concert, when my tiny choir was augmented with students from Florida A&M University, where I was employed. Hearing my scores brought to life is another fond musical memory I'll always associate with the Christmas season.
Still, I understand how people can overdose on the old standards. My strategy is to take them in moderation, and in various forms. Starting in December (or at the very least, after Thanksgiving), I break out Handel's Messiah, not limiting myself to Part I or even the traditional version. (I also enjoy A Soulful Celebration, the gospel version of this masterwork. Call me a heretic if you must.) "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is another CD that never grows stale. I add Take 6, Oscar Peterson and various popular artists, sometimes in compilation. Leontyne Price and Kathleen Battle figure prominently, as do Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole.
In my car, I listen to stations that play music that isn't strictly seasonal, especially NPR, because even when they play only Christmas music the supply of classical compositions that fit the bill seems to be endless.
Finally, along with the favorite organ arrangements that I play in church, I make sure my choir sings several original anthems, rather than purely carol arrangements. In other words, I pace myself. That way, I can truly enjoy my yearly rendezvous with "Silent Night."
Different emotions at Easter
I can't say that every Christmas has been equally suffused with joy, but on the whole I can say the music of the season has given me consistent pleasure. Every year I find a new gem, something reflective or something festive. Unlike Easter, which is almost always marked with songs of triumph, Christmas covers the gamut of emotion.
I understand that the Resurrection is, in many ways, more important than the Incarnation. But the former would be impossible without the latter. Then again, it's not the theological significance of Christmas that makes the carols enjoyable.
Whatever the reasons, I'm glad I'm able to appreciate Christmas music. Considering the ubiquitous Muzak and TV commercials, what a torture it would be if I felt otherwise!
I know, I know— same old tired tunes, and they've been done so many ways there's nothing left to do with them any more. The Christmas CD is the last resort of every has-been performer, or the marketing ploy of every ripe young hopeful. But it's a funny thing: For a regular churchgoer, the Christmas season is the time you hear the greatest melodies. There's good reason we keep singing, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Angels We Have Heard on High" with such gusto: They're beautifully written.
Actually, there are a gazillion Christmas carols, and some of the lesser-known ones are truly wonderful. As a church organist, I enjoy throwing in something obscure every year. I save this for the prelude or the choir, however, because people get really upset if you choose a hymn they haven't already memorized.
In my experience, Christmas has always been a time of extra-special music: more instruments, solos, and choral pieces, all prepared with additional care. After I moved out of my childhood home, Christmas became the one time of year when I got to sing in the church choir rather than play an instrument. I have lifelong friends, also back for the holidays, who would join me in song, all of us under my mother's direction. The feeling of reconnecting, plus the joy of singing in a group, will always be precious to me.
An antidote for winter loneliness
After I got married, I stopped returning home to Canada every December. I had a job in Florida directing the church choir on Christmas Eve. Before my children were born, my husband, an only child, would spend the days leading up to Christmas in New York with his divorced mother, who was prone to both illness and loneliness, while I stayed in Florida until after the Christmas Eve services. I, too, was prone to loneliness, but I'd always treat myself to a few new Christmas tapes to get me through. I'd also choose two or three carols to arrange for the church's annual Christmas concert, when my tiny choir was augmented with students from Florida A&M University, where I was employed. Hearing my scores brought to life is another fond musical memory I'll always associate with the Christmas season.
Still, I understand how people can overdose on the old standards. My strategy is to take them in moderation, and in various forms. Starting in December (or at the very least, after Thanksgiving), I break out Handel's Messiah, not limiting myself to Part I or even the traditional version. (I also enjoy A Soulful Celebration, the gospel version of this masterwork. Call me a heretic if you must.) "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is another CD that never grows stale. I add Take 6, Oscar Peterson and various popular artists, sometimes in compilation. Leontyne Price and Kathleen Battle figure prominently, as do Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole.
In my car, I listen to stations that play music that isn't strictly seasonal, especially NPR, because even when they play only Christmas music the supply of classical compositions that fit the bill seems to be endless.
Finally, along with the favorite organ arrangements that I play in church, I make sure my choir sings several original anthems, rather than purely carol arrangements. In other words, I pace myself. That way, I can truly enjoy my yearly rendezvous with "Silent Night."
Different emotions at Easter
I can't say that every Christmas has been equally suffused with joy, but on the whole I can say the music of the season has given me consistent pleasure. Every year I find a new gem, something reflective or something festive. Unlike Easter, which is almost always marked with songs of triumph, Christmas covers the gamut of emotion.
I understand that the Resurrection is, in many ways, more important than the Incarnation. But the former would be impossible without the latter. Then again, it's not the theological significance of Christmas that makes the carols enjoyable.
Whatever the reasons, I'm glad I'm able to appreciate Christmas music. Considering the ubiquitous Muzak and TV commercials, what a torture it would be if I felt otherwise!
Sign up for our newsletter
All of the week's new articles, all in one place. Sign up for the free weekly BSR newsletters, and don't miss a conversation.
