“Christmas Music in the Mountains”. When I first said the title aloud last spring, I thought, ‘That’s logical - we are a choir that sings Christmas music and we live in the mountains. Appalachian carols seemed a natural choice of music for us to present. What makes up Appalachian mountain music? It cannot be defined succinctly, but a long oral tradition of ballads based on modal melodies and whole tone cadences brought over by English and Scots-Irish immigrants certainly predominate the music. The use of the voice, solo or in harmony, along with whatever instrument could be found or made (violin, dulcimer, guitar) create the sound of the music. Traditional Appalachian music also encompasses shape-note hymns in rugged meters, sturdy rhythms, and solid four-part harmonies.
The Appalachian Carol “The Cherry Tree Carol” provides a view of the Holy Family seldom seen in the Christmas Carols, that is, of Joseph and Mary in conversation, before the child is born. Like an old folk tale, this carol begins with the narrator singing of an old man, Joseph, marrying a beautiful young woman, Mary the Queen of Galilee. It is an idyllic picture, Mary and Joseph walking in an orchard, and she requests that Joseph gather cherries. But instead of a gentle stroll ending in a romantic tryst, the song lyrics reveal an angry Joseph questioning Mary concerning the fatherhood of this child. The baby Jesus chastises his father for his harsh treatment of Mary and commands the cherry tree to bow down and provide fruit for his mother. Joseph regrets his hasty words and pleads for forgiveness. The Christ child predicts the day of his birth as a day the earth with tremble with fear, a foreshadow of the crucifixion.
What is equally interesting in this carol lyric is the symbolic use or the word “cherries.” Often in Mediterranean and medieval poetry cherries were known as the “Fruit of Paradise” and its white blossoms indicative of feminine chastity and purity. Cherries were associated with a sweetness of character derived from a person of goodness. With this knowledge, the carol takes on a deeper meaning.
In her choice of key, accompaniment, and triad-based harmonies, composer Gwyneth Walker begins her arrangement of the carol in a simple, folk style, emphasizing innocence. She isolates the words “cherries” and has the chorus sing the word back and forth among the voice sections playfully and in a taunting manor. The music then focuses on the “trembling” earth and the dissonant sounds suggest conflict and discord. Walker’s arrangement of this old mountain carol progresses from simplicity to complexity, from major key to unresolved dissonant harmonies. Perhaps the composer wishes us to see beyond the tiny babe in the manger to contemplate the man on the cross.
Some scholars debate the origin of this carol. Is it medieval? Is it English? Is it Appalachian? It could be all three and each time period varies the text a little. Like medieval carols it spans the entire life of Christ. Like many old English carols, the melody boasts a modal tonal palette. One can truly hear the story of the Holy family told like an Appalachian folktale: An old man, a pretty, pregnant young girl, the miracle of the bending cherry trees, wrapped in the melancholy melody with dire consequences to come.
Two other Appalachian Carols are heard in this program, both associated with John Jacob Niles (1892-1980). Niles, a native of Kentucky, collected mountain songs in the early decades of the twentieth century. “Jesus , Jesus rest your head,” presents a simple melody tied to an straightforward text. For the mountain folk, there is no need for complex musical counterpoint or artistic, poetic imagery to explain the Nativity. The Appalachian Christ is of low birth and sleeps humbly among the animals, as did many people living in the mountains. Only the evil folks on earth sleep in fine feather beds. “I wonder as I wander” is really not an Appalachian folk carol but a song composed by Niles. However its haunting melody and poignant lyrics make it so akin to the folk carols, so it is often mistaken for one
As there are mountains all over the world where Christmas music is performed, what other mountain music might Masterworks Chorus sing? My thoughts went immediately to the Pyrenees. The Pyrenees are the high mountains that separate France and Spain, where the Catalan (a blended language of French and Spanish) is spoken and was once the Kingdom of Aragon, home of King Ferdinand. The Women’s chorus presents Three Catalonian Christmas Carols. (Come with Me Dancing, The Carol of the Birds, and The Rose Tree) The imagery and symbolism of birds and flowers in the carols is reminiscent of the old courtly lyrics of the troubadour sung in praise of the Queen. The gentle, lilting 6/8 rhythms, the Moorish quilismas and minor keys ,as well as the humorous syllabic repetition all combine to create this charming trio.
While pondering repertoire choices for this concert of mountain Christmas music, my mind drifted to the remembrance of a chill morn in December watching the sunrise over the Blue Ridge mountains East of the Shenandoah Valley. I cannot say I have seen many sunrises, but this image is one of the inspirations for some of the music I selected for our holiday concerts. The dark foreground, the first hint of rosy pink, the gradual crescendo of color, and the final accelerando of light. It is a scene peculiar to life in the mountains, and although no sounds are heard during sunrise, (except perhaps a few birdcalls) to me it is a symphony or a grand chorus singing in harmony. Many cultures celebrate the interplay of darkness and light at this time of year. Christians sing of the Light of the World being born at Christmas. So, along with the topic of mountains and music, we will sing Christmas texts celebrating light in the darkness.
The words “darkness and light” bring to my mind the music of Messiah. “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light.” In 2009, musicians the world over are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the death of George Frideric Handel with performances of Messiah. Masterworks adds their voices to this commemoration by performing the prophecy portion of Messiah.
Handel did indeed compose the music for Messiah in just two weeks in September of 1741. The work premiered in Dublin , Ireland, April 13,1742 as an oratorio to be sung in Lent. Concert announcements regaled gentlemen to attend without swords to accommodate the crowds and eyes witness declared there was sobbing in the house when the emotional London actress, Polly Cibbers, sang . But historical facts do not explain why Messiah lingers in our hearts and minds. The impeccable marriage of text and words, Handle’s amazing ability to text paint in music, the flowing melismas, the bold proclamations, the dance like rhythms, the vitality of the accompaniment, the dialogue between chorus and soloists, and the symbolic choice of musical keys all combine to create an unforgettable work of art.
Boston's Haydn and Handel Society gave the US premiere performance of Messiah in 1818. Researching Shenandoah Valley presentations of Messiah reveals a Bridgewater College performance in 1944, but whether or not this was the first performance is inconclusive.
While pondering musical settings of “dark and light,” my mind also hears the sounds of “Spaseniye Sodelal” or “Salvation is Created” by the great Russian composer, Pavel Chesnokov. The extremely low pitches of the men’s voices, the somber minor key, the slow tempo all remind me of darkness, the beginning of the world. Slowly the composition adds voices, extends to higher ranges, changes to a major key and a sonorous Alleluia concludes the creation of salvation. Chesnokov composed 400 sacred works prior to the atheism of Stalin’s regime destroying the church at which he was employed as the church musician.
"O Nata Lux" (Light born of Light) is included among our songs of "light and dark". Its composer, Tom Porter, lives in North Dakota, home of the Turtle Mountains. Mr. Porter teaches music theory at Bismark State College and conducts a community chorus. At the American Choral Directors' national convention last March, this song was so popular among the reading packets that it was recommended for church, college, community, and high school and junior high. It is beautiful and mesmerizing. The modern harmonies create a refreshing setting of a well known liturgical text.
“In Dulci Jubilo” (In Sweet Joy God’s Son/Sun is shining) is another in our collection of “light and dark” songs. Ancient Christmas texts often use macaronic lyrics, that is, a combination of vernacular and Latin. The merger of sacred and secular texts suggests the incarnation of the divine and human of the Christmas story. Michael Praetorius, German theorist and sixteenth-century choral musician, was quick to adapt two new concepts into German choral music: 1) the modern system of major and minor scales and 2) the newfangled Italian “special” acoustical affect of multiple choirs singing simultaneously. Found in his Musicae Sioniae of 1611, “in Dulci Jubilo’ is one of his ,1000 compositions based on hymn melodies. We know this Christmas hymn tune today as “ Good Christian Men Rejoice” or “Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine". After last year’s concert in which the chorus presented the ponderous chords of polychoral repertoire, Masterworks audience members, experiencing “surround-sound,” were eager to hear more. “Venite Adoremus/ The Snow Lay on the Ground” is another macaronic text and the composer, Masterworks Chorus alto Darci, Kuhlber, also lives in the mountains of Virginia. This new composition reinterprets the traditional text with music using a soft palette of gentle, unresolved harmonies to create a mystical setting.
"Remember Me" is not a Christmas text, nore does it have anything to do with mountains. Many of us recall loved ones at Christmas. Texas composer, Laura Farnell, has created a beautiful melodic line and lush harmonies to the text by Christina G. Rossetti (1830-1894). The poet, also known for the Christmas text: "In the Bleak Mid-Winter", charges each of us to "remember and smile" rather than be filled with regret and sorrow.
"Music in My Mother's House" is another tribute to home and music. How many mountain mommas made sure their sons and daughters learned to play some musical instruments? How many families sang songs on the front porch on a Saturday night or hymns in the parlor on a Sunday? Don't forget to thank your grannies for teaching you Christmas and all other kinds of music!
The text for “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” or originally “Hark! How all the welkin rings” was penned by Methodist minister and hymn writer, Charles Wesley in 1739. The music associated with this carol was composed by Felix Mendelssohn in 1804 as a portion of a Festgesang. Not only were Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin born in 1809, it was also the birth year of Felix Mendelssohn. Joining in with 200th anniversary Mendelssohn celebrations around the globe this year, we lift our voices in this arrangement created for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir by Mack Wilberg. We wish you all the merriest of mountain Christmases with family and friends, singing your song of "Joy to the World" this year.
