Ask Carol Doran about her favorite Christmas carol, and she
does not hesitate with her answer.
“Without question, Silent Night,” says
Doran, organist at Virginia Theological Seminary. “Some people think its
not Christmas if you dont sing it.”
Ask Carol Doran about her favorite Christmas carol, and she
does not hesitate with her answer.
“Without question, Silent Night,” says
Doran, organist at Virginia Theological Seminary. “Some people think its
not Christmas if you dont sing it.”
However, following closely behind in Dorans book, are
“O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Joy to the World.”
Beloved by young and old, weekly churchgoers and those who
worship mainly at Christmas, the songs make the season for many. And many songs
make the season, with everyone having their favorites.
Author Ace Collins started with a list of 250 tunes when he
began compiling “Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas,”
a new book by Zondervan. Paring that list back to a mere 31 gave him insights
on which carols have endured and why.
Throughout the 31 chapters that look at one song each, the
word “simple” pops up as one of the endearing aspects of the music
sung over and over during December. In an interview, Collins cites “Angels
We Have Heard on High” as an example.
“The entire song spans six notes, so anyone can literally
sing it,” says Collins, a song leader at First Baptist Church of Bynum,
Texas. “If you have the range of less than one octave, you can sing that
song.”
Often mixed in with the simplicity of the music is the essence
of its message – and the ability to remember it. “I think the truth
of the words is very important,” Collins says. “You have simple words,
… and people go home singing that.”
In the church as well as in other settings, the frequency of
the favorites is a given.
“Usually people are not eager to schedule new hymns at
Christmas simply because people who come to church expect the old hymns,”
says Doran, who also is professor
of music and liturgy at the Episcopal seminary in Alexandria, Va.
Likewise, Christmas albums – both secular and Christian
– often are top-heavy with old standbys, Collins notes. “Even artists
dont sing new songs. They want to sing the songs that they loved growing
up.”
Nevertheless, newer Christmas tunes are included on many compact
discs.
It is also a constant challenge to create a new sound for the
season, acknowledges Loren Balman, president of Word Entertainments label
groups.
“(And) Who better than a Christian artist to take a look
at the real meaning of Christmas and bring a fresh perspective in the current
musical language, both from a lyrical standpoint and a sonic standpoint, to
create what may be the Christmas masterpieces for another generation?”
There are new favorites in the works.
For instance, “Breath of Heaven” by Amy Grant is
a “pure celebratory worship of Jesus Christ and his birth,” Balman
says.
In 2000, “The Christmas Shoes” by NewSong reached
Christian and mainstream audiences, topping Billboard magazines lists
of top adult contemporary songs.
“Mary, Did You Know?” by Christian singer Mark Lowery
also found a way to stand out from the others, Collins notes.
“It carved out a niche. When you look back over all these
Christmas songs, they are each unique in their own ways.”
Another key to a carols popularity is the times in which
it is written or recorded.
There were lots of candidates for popular carols written in
the 1950s, but they often never were recorded by more than one person, Collins
points out. “They didnt make it more than one season because Christmases
were normal Christmases. They werent Christmases when there was a tremendous
insecurity in the world.”
In contrast, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
was written during the Civil War. “White Christmas,” “Ill
Be Home for Christmas” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
all were first recorded during World War II.
“When you have Christmases that are incredibly meaningful
to you – maybe youre separated from your loved ones – every
element of Christmas anchors itself in your heart, your soul and your mind,”
Collins says. “When you get to come back together and rejoice, the songs
… that sustained you through those times, I think, you want to make a part
of every Christmas thereafter.”
So, in these post-Sept. 11 times, is a new Christmas classic
in the offing?
“You cant predict it,” Collins insists.
But when lighting this years National Christmas Tree,
the president cited another favorite carol as a means of soothing a nation at
an insecure time.
“This season finds our country with losses to mourn and
great tasks to complete,” President George Bush said at the Dec. 6 ceremony
near the White House.
“In all those tasks, it is worth recalling the words from a beautiful
Christmas hymn. In the third verse of O Holy Night, we sing, His
law is love, and his gospel is peace. Chains he shall break, for the slave is
our brother. And in his name, all oppression shall cease.” (RNS)