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Hello and welcome to the Insights and Sounds podcast, a podcast centered around classical music. Join Dr. John Sinclair, and explore composers past and present, their works, and an occasional classical music informational episode.
Insights & Sounds Christmas Episode
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Dr. Sinclair: [00:00:00] Hello, good people. I am so looking forward to introducing you to five of my favorite Christmas pieces. You know, Christmas music has some very special meaning. I have a good friend who reminded me that while the written Christmas story may tell us how to think, The music of Christmas tells us how to feel.
I would even go further than that by stating that I believe music for the holiday season passes by the brain and travels directly to the heart. So I'm really looking forward to introducing you to some of my favorite Christmas selections. favorite recordings. So let's get started. While visiting the town of Murphy in Appalachian, North Carolina, folklorist and singer John Jacob Niles attended a fundraising meeting held by evangelicals who had been ordered to leave [00:01:00] town.
Nile describes the hearing of a particular song, quote, a girl stepped out of the edge of a little platform, which was attached to an automobile. She began to sing. Her clothes were unbelievably dirty and ragged. And she too was unwashed. Her tangled ash blonde hair hung down, but she was beautiful. And in her untutored way, she could sing.
She smiled as she sang. Smiled rather sadly, and sang only a single line of a song. The girl, Annie Morgan, repeated the same phrase seven times in exchange for a quarter each time she performed it. And I left with three lines of a verse, a garbled fragment of a melodic material, and a magnificent idea, end of quote.
Based on this fragment, John Jacob Niles composed I wonder as I wander. He extended the melody for four lines with three verses. His [00:02:00] composition was completed in October of 1933 and it was first performed on December 19th of that same year at the Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, which is still the largest and oldest folk school in the United States.
Mr. Niles was born in Kentucky in 1892 and was raised in a musical family. And while he composed many original songs, much of his life centered on collecting, performing, and recording folk music. The folk song roots are evident in this song, as is the use of modal scales and folk rhythms. This hauntingly beautiful Appalachian folk carol captures the spirit of the Christmas season through its poignant lyrics and simple yet powerful melody.
The lyrics of I Wonder As I Wander ponders the mystery of Christ's birth, the sacrifices made, and the wonder of divine love. The refrain, quote, I wonder as I wander under the sky, how Jesus the Savior did come forth to die, encapsulates the central [00:03:00] theme of the song, the mystery and the majesty of the nativity, And the profound significance of not only Christ's life, but his death.
I find the song to be simultaneously. meditative and melancholic. It has a quiet beauty, which is deeply emotional.
Over the years, I wonder as I wander has been recorded by many artists with the arrangement we're listening today by Jamie Ray, a professor at Rollins College. And of acapella Voctave fame. But before we listen, don't you wonder what happened to Annie Morgan, the little blonde headed girl who made this song come to life, let's listen to this beautifully elegant setting.
I wonder as I wander.
[00:04:00] [00:05:00] [00:06:00] [00:07:00] [00:08:00] O Holy Night, or Cantique de Noël, is a sacred song or hymn about the night that Christ was born, based on a French poem written in 1843 by poet Placide Capot. The English version, with small changes to the initial melody, was done by John Sullivan Dwight, who was influenced by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The story of O Holy Night begins in a small town in the south of France, where a capot, a wine merchant, and poet was commissioned to write a Christmas poem for the local parish church, who was installing new stained glass windows.
Inspired by the story of Christ's birth, Capo wrote the lyrics in a burst of inspiration while en route to Paris in a stagecoach. Combining the poem of Capo with the elegant music of the prominent composer of the day, Adolph [00:09:00] Adam. The result was a beautiful, emotionally charged composition that reflects both the awe and the reverence surrounding the birth Christ.
The carol's lyrics celebrate the miraculous nature of Christ's arrival and the hope it brings to the world. The central theme of O Holy Night It's not only about the birth of Christ, but as the moment for the redemption of humanity. The opening lines describe the night of Christ's birth, while the second verse emphasizes divine love and calls for people to embrace his teachings with the words, quote, fall on your knees, oh hear the angels sing, and long lay the world in sin and error pining.
This sets the stage for the arrival of the Savior. who brings, quote, a new and glorious morn. It offers hope for a troubled world. The song was very popular throughout France as early as 1864, where a Catholic music journal stated that the song was, quote, has been performed at many churches during Midnight Mass and is sung in the streets, social gatherings, [00:10:00] and at bars with great live entertainment.
The song was not without controversy, with many leaders within the Christian church criticizing the song's, quote, militant tone and dubious theology because of the text, which reads, to cease the wrath of his father, which they felt depicted an angry and vengeful God in contrast to Jesus. And the composer Adolf Adam was accused of writing a song for purely financial gain because of being Jewish.
I find neither accusation was true. But the poet, Mr. Capoe, was also not without controversy. He was a free thinker who apostatized and adopted views to socialism. The Abolitionists of America liked the song because of its themes of equality, especially the set of lyrics.
Quote, Truly he taught us to love one another. His law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother [00:11:00] and his name all oppression shall cease. This perfectly captured the views of the abolishing slavery. So when the work was published, it had great popularity in the northern states in the United States.
There are numerous legends and stories of the song being used for spiritual purposes and to comfort. Two particular legends I like are in 1870, French troops sung the song on Christmas Eve during the Franco Prussian War. Causing a temporary cease of fire and another more poignant story is about a Catholic priest singing Oh Holy Night to a dying American Marine on Christmas Eve while deployed in Iraq.
The music Oh Holy Night is known for its dramatic shifts. In intensity, moving from quiet, reflective moments to powerful crescendos. It has become a favorite of the Christmas season, especially on Christmas Eve. The work also seems to resonate with performers and audiences alike. And for me, it exudes both reverence [00:12:00] and joy.
The setting we will be listening to is arranged by Jamie Ray and features Mary Wilson as solos with a live performance of the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra,
join me in listening to Oh Holy Night.
[00:13:00] [00:14:00] [00:15:00] [00:16:00] The origin of Christmas carol, Oh Come All Ye Faithful, or as it was originally known, Adeste Fidelis, Remains a mystery. It has been attributed to various authors, but most likely was written by John Wade since it appeared in a book he published in 1751,
the original four verses of the hymn were extended to a total of eight, which has been [00:17:00] translated into numerous languages. But in 1841, the English Catholic priests. Frederick Oakley translated the hymn into English as O Come, All Ye Faithful, which has become the standard among English speaking countries.
O Come, All Ye Faithful stands as a testament to the enduring power of music to inspire faith and joy. Whether sung in Latin or in English, In a grand cathedral or a cozy home, it continues to bring people together, and I believe has earned its place as one of the most cherished hymns of the Christmas season.
The lyrics balance being solemn while being exuberant, making it both reverent and jubilant. Fidelis is traditionally the final anthem during midnight mass at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
The musical setting we're hearing today of O Come All Ye Faithful is arranged by John McLean Sherrard as it was performed in concert by the Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra.
Dr. Sinclair: I hope you [00:18:00] enjoy.
[00:19:00] [00:20:00] [00:21:00] [00:22:00] Now, what program would be complete at Christmas time without talking about Silent Night? is a popular Austrian Christmas carol composed by Franz Gruber with lyrics by Joseph Mohr. And in 2011, it was declared as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. Stühle Nacht was first performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 at the St. Nicholas Church, a young Catholic priest, Father Joseph Mohr, had come there right after the [00:23:00] aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. And he had written the poem in 1816, a couple years earlier, while he was a priest, an assistant priest, actually, at a church near Salzburg. The melody was composed and sung by Franz Gruber, who was a schoolmaster and organist in a nearby village.
On Christmas Eve, 1818, Moore brought the words to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody with guitar. For that night's mass, Christmas Eve. You see the river had flooded and damaged the church's organ. And after Christmas, when the organ repairman came to the little village church, he was so impressed with the song that he took a copy and spread it to all the churches he served throughout the parts of Austria.
And the song continued to spread quickly by traveling performers. The musical piece made its way to New York city in 1839, but it was not sung in English. until 1859 when John Freeman Young, an Episcopal priest at Trinity Church in New York, translated the lyrics into [00:24:00] the ones that we now commonly sing.
One such example of how the lyrics changed from the original translation would be, Moore wrote, Holy infant with curly hair, and Young translated it to, Holy infant, so tender and mild. The musical version of the melody Is generally used today is a slow meditative lullaby or pastoral, but the original tune possessed a Sileana rhythm, a little more rhythmic than we're used to hearing it now.
Silent Night is undoubtedly one of the most beloved Christmas carols of all time. Its soft, serene melody and its gentle lyrics evoke a sense of peace and serenity, capturing the purest essence of Christmas. And the song has been translated into countless languages and remains a staple in holiday celebrations worldwide.
Oh, by the way, though, The church that created the need for the new song was eventually destroyed by repeated flooding and replaced with the church now in town, away from the river, and is actually referred to as the Silent Night [00:25:00] Chapel. The lyrics focus on the quietness of the night and the peacefulness of the scene, the holy night where the child, the symbol of hope and salvation, rests in his mother's arms.
I often wonder how surprised and how delighted Father Moore and Franz Gruber would be by the universal popularity of their little song. Silent Night has become more than just a carol. I think it's become a symbol of the season itself. I believe its popularity endures because it speaks to the deepest emotions of the human spirit, the longing for peace, the warmth of family, and the joy of a sacred event.
The song's simplicity allows it to transcend time, culture, and languages, making it a common thread woven through the Christmas celebrations around the world. It is truly a testament to the power of music, and to convey a deep universal message. The arrangement we will be listening to [00:26:00] together is by friend Ted Ricketts, and sung by the Bach Choir, and played by the Bach Orchestra.
Please enjoy Silent Night. [00:27:00] [00:28:00] [00:29:00] now let's turn our attention to a secular, more current Christmas song. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas was written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Plain and introduced to the world by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St.
Louis. In 2007, ASCAP Ranked it as the third most performed Christmas song in current times. And it has been ranked as one of the top 100 songs From the American cinema.
The song was written in 1943, once again, for the film, meet me in St. Louis and was written while Martin was on vacation in Birmingham, Alabama. He had a home there that his father had designed for his mother as a honeymoon cottage. The song [00:30:00] first appeared in the movie when a family is distraught by the father's plans to move to New York City for a job promotion.
Leaving behind their beloved home in St. Louis, Missouri. In a scene set on Christmas Eve, Judy Garland's character sings a song to cheer up her despondent five year old sister. Some of the original lyrics penned by Martin were rejected by director Vincent Minelli because they were too depressing, though he initially resisted Martin made several changes and made this song more upbeat. For example, the original lines were, it may be your last next year.
We may be all living in the past, which eventually became. Let your heart be light. Next year, all our troubles will be out of sight. Garland's version of the song, which was also released on a single by Decca Records, became hugely popular with United States troops during World War II. Now go forward a few years, and in 1957, Frank Sinatra approached Martin to record the song.
He [00:31:00] asked him to revise the lyrics once again, to promote more of the positive themes. He particularly pointed out the line, until then we'll have to muddle through somehow, saying that the name of his album was going to be A Jolly Christmas and that just didn't fit.
Well, Martin revised the lyrics to say, hang a shining star upon the highest bow. Martin made several other alterations changing from future tense to present. song's focus is a celebration of present happiness rather than anticipation of a better future. The song Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas has a rich history intertwined with its emotional lyrics and a content of time when it was written.
Since then, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas has been covered by countless artists, , including Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, the Carpenters, even Lady Gaga and Coldplay, among others. Each rendition brings its own flavor to the song, but the core theme of togetherness, hope, and comfort during the holidays [00:32:00] remain.
, the song has become synonymous with a feeling of nostalgia, warmth, and the bittersweet nature of holidays. Spent with loved ones. Despite its humble beginnings as part of the movie, it is now a centerpiece of Christmas music worldwide.
Now, personally, I feel the song's enduring charm is that it acknowledges the challenges that may come, but encourages optimism and joy, making it really the perfect reflection of the holiday spirit, the arrangement we will be listening to today is by Christopher Weiss and performed by the Bach Choir and Bach Orchestra.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas. [00:33:00] [00:34:00] [00:35:00] [00:36:00] [00:37:00] Thank you so very much for taking time to listen to this podcast. And I hope you continue to follow us on our other episodes. You will notice a lot of them coming out , this winter and spring. Remember the story I told you at the beginning about how music has a way to go to your heart.
I think bypasses everything. It goes right to our heart. If that is so, [00:38:00] I hope this podcast goes from my heart to yours. Merry Christmas.