THE MORNING RANT: I’m Missing Classic Christmas Hymns at Church Christmas Concerts

One of the seasonal treats I have always enjoyed is Christmas performances put on by choirs and orchestras, be they schoolchildren singing at the mall, or a church’s big annual Christmas concert, or a highly trained college troupe. At the risk of sounding too “Bah, humbug,” my enthusiasm for attending these performances is waning. It’s not because I no longer like the traditional Christmas standards, it’s because I miss those old Christmas standards.

While I don’t mind that choir directors want to “challenge” the audience with some new or unfamiliar Christmas tunes, I am annoyed that some of the shows I’ve attended in recent years have been virtually devoid of any familiar tunes. Even worse, some of the unfamiliar music is truly awful.

The big, local, Protestant church in my town has a beautiful tradition of putting on a Christmas show that the whole community is welcome to attend. It features an orchestra and three choirs (adult, youth, and children.) It has been a source of civic pride for many years, and my wife and I never miss it. But I may skip it this year, because if I want to hear what I consider “Christmas music” I might do better streaming a Christmas channel at home.

I’m not even saying that the show should only be songs like “Joy to the World” or “The First Noel.” I’d be thrilled to occasionally hear “Once in Royal David’s City” or some such. And if the choir director wants to challenge the audience, perhaps instead of doing some awkward patois to a Christmas calypso, the choir could perform the “Coventry Carol” with an explanation of Herod’s wrath upon hearing of the newborn king.

Back a decade ago, the performance I’m referencing included about 20 songs, of which about ten were very well-known Christmas hymns (“O Come All Ye Faithful” “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” etc), five lesser-known but recognizable songs (e.g. “Bring a Torch,” “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly”) and five completely unknown songs, several of which deserved to become better known. That was a good mix, and I enjoyed being exposed to a few new-to-me songs.

But I’d guess that last year’s show included approximately 18 unknown songs, including several “folk songs” from developing countries. The only familiar tune before the finale was one sing-along medley of favorites such as “The First Noel.” The finale was a beautiful arrangement of the Hallelujah Chorus, which was much appreciated by the crowd hungering for a familiar melody.

Among the most awkward moments were the children’s choir singing a song no one in the building had ever heard before. If there was an actual melody, it was not discernible. All that needed to be done was to let the children sing “Away in a Manger” like thousands of other children’s choirs have done before. The kids would know the tune, as would everyone in the crowd, and the parents would beam with pride watching their kids singing that beloved song.

In that same show, the youth choir tried to phonetically sing in Latin to a song no one had ever heard before, which was also difficult to watch, and difficult to listen to. Please, just let them sing “Do You Hear What I Hear.” They’ll enjoy it more, and the audience will appreciate a simple song sung well.

There is so much beautiful Christmas music out there. Having that music performed live by talented singers and musicians is a gift from the performers to the audience. That is all that is expected.

I suppose it’s sort of like attending the touring show of a prominent band or musician. The audience loves the famous hits, performed the way they have always been played, and that is what the audience has shown up to see. Being introduced to some new stuff is expected and appreciated, but there is an obligation by the performer to play the greatest hits.

Let’s keep the great canon of Christmas music alive, and let’s hear those songs performed with the dignity and reverence they deserve!

On that note, here are a few old classics that I’d love to hear performed live by a choir and orchestra:

[buck.throckmorton at protonmail dot com]

posted by Buck Throckmorton at 11:00 AM

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